Chapter 1: Unwelcome Guests

Some mornings just don’t start out the way you hope they will. Those were some of the thoughts running through my tired brain on that particular morning. The morning it all began. What . . . ? Sorry, I should introduce myself. My name is . . . was . . . will be (I get confused sometimes) Amon-Ra. Yes, THAT Amon-Ra. Lord of Avalon and, as things turned out, a short sighted fool. For those of you in the distant future who might be reading this, I give you my heartfelt apologies. My kind never meant to go as far off plan as we did. Such an apology probably won’t do you any good if you’re reading this in a cave somewhere by the light of a fire pit. Anyway, back to my story.

It was late fall as I remember. A time of change and slumber ’till Spring’s rebirth. I was leaning against the railing of my veranda, at the summit of the main tower of Avalon. Early morning has always been my favorite time of day. Most people are still asleep and all that can be heard are the simple sounds of nature. Birds loved to sit on the railing next to me. Guess they didn’t know my reputation or didn’t give a flying *&^%. From my vantage point one could look out over the city of Avalonia some three thousand feet below me. The city stretched out over the distant horizon wreathed in early morning mist, It’s towers and pyramids vast and dim in the sunrise. In that metropolis, I knew millions were rising to another day of whatever it was they did. I really didn’t care . . . at the time. I was having my own problems with getting started in the morning.

Gondolfo, Captain-General of Avalon and my personal conscience, was already up and about, setting things in motion for the long day ahead. I’d never seen Gondolfo asleep and I wasn’t sure if he ever slept. Boundless, loyal energy that man. Y’see, I’m lazy by nature so I need Gondolfo to kick me in the pants and get me moving every morning. Once I’m up to speed, I’m good for the rest of the day. Usually. This particular morning didn’t feel right, and I was having difficulty pinpointing the exact cause of the nervous twitch I seemed to be developing. Twice I thought I’d heard a strange noise or saw a flitting shadow, and turned to see what was going on behind me. Both times . . . nothing. Still, my neck hairs were standing on end and I couldn’t quite convince myself that all was well with my world. So there I was, leaning on that railing, conversing with the wildlife, and studiously trying to ignore everything around me, except the view.

“Everything all right?”

Wrenching myself free of the death grip I had on the ceiling, I turned to confront the destroyer of my hard fought for calm. It was Gondolfo. Suppressing the visceral urge to strangle him on the spot, I just glared at him.

“Are you TRYING to give me a heart attack?!” I still firmly believe that Gondolfo delighted in finding ways to jack up my blood pressure. After all, If he could shake the nerve of the leader of the Terran High Council, he’d have bragging rights no one else had ever achieved.

“My, you are jumpy today. Bit out of character for you, isn’t it? Any particular reason?”

“Yup. I’d give my right eye to know where Seth is hiding out. The boy seems to have dug himself a hole, jumped in, and pulled it in after him. Also, where the hell have Baal and Dagon sneaked off to. Even Mephisto seems to be laying low. Knowing Dagon, they’re probably running a nasty errand for that vicious tentacle face, D’Garan”

Gondolfo grimaced.

“You really do worry too much. Thought we covered those topics in council last night. They’re quiet for now, so just enjoy the calm and flow with it.”

I continued to stare in front of me.

“I know it. I was there, remember. Still, I don’t like to be stared down by fifteen Great Lords and Ladies wanting to know why some of our deadliest enemies, my son among them, seemed to have dropped off the face of the planet. Baal and Dagon are too damned dangerous to be running around loose! And Seth . . . ! Don’t even get me started on that subject! Blood of my blood he may be, but he’s also a psychopathic nutcase bent on world domination. I should have put him down at birth! Uhh . . . don’t tell Isis I said that. She’s his stepmother and, for whatever crazy reason, still believes that juvenile killer still has good in him. I sure don’t see it!”

Gondolfo sighed.

“Mothers want, and need, to believe in the intrinsic goodness of their children. That’s why they’re mothers. Also, Isis has had a tough time of it as of late. One of her children was slaughtered before her very eyes by none other than her stepson. She had such high hopes for Seth and now you’re itching to get your hands around the boy’s neck. The whole thing has her torn up inside.”

The bloody memory rose up before my mind’s eye. That day had been one of the most terrible of my long life. Seth had lost it and a son of mine had died. Never mind that Seth’s supporters (few in number these days) had claimed self defense. The boy’s actions and immediate flight from justice spoke for him.

“Don’t you think I know that!? But . . . what am I supposed to do? Seth is waaay too dangerous to be free. Or alive, for that matter. He’s also my son Damnit!! I’d love to forgive him and welcome him back into the fold. However, two things prevent me from doing that. He murdered his brother in front of witnesses and, as High Lord of Terra, I’m honor bound by law to bring him in or kill him. Also, the boy is way too smart and clever for our good. Plus, If he’s teamed up with D’Garan, Dagon and Baal, we’re in REAL danger. Those three will use Seth for his knowledge, and when they’re finished with him, throw him away.

Gondolfo scratched his chin and looked at me with his usual unreadable gaze.

“What about that other matter?” he asked.

Now I was starting to hate him.

“The Charter argument? Well . . . Wodon is feeling cramped up north and wants what he calls ‘breathing room’. Lir, for reasons passing my understanding, resents the fact that he and I are neighbors. Something about him looking bad. So . . . he wants a VERY large chunk of the mainland. Only problem is that the territory he wants belongs to Agni who is not about to lose any territory to someone he labels as a whining loser. War material that. Vishnu, with his usual ‘can’t we all get along’ attitude tried to defuse the situation, and wound up at war with Lir AND Agni. Personally, I’m hoping that the three of them kill one another. Wodon could then have his ‘breathing room’ and stop giving me an ear ache. Plus, there would be a lot of newly vacated territory to placate everyone else. The Council is, once again, split between a rewrite of the Charter, and leaving things the way they are.”

“Think a rewrite could happen?”

“Not while I lead the Council ! The Great Lords have been throwing the idea around since my grandfather’s time. Simply put, it’s the usual power grab philosophy. Everyone wants what they can’t have. That includes the second tier of ‘High’ Lords and Ladies, who are feeling squeezed out by the first tier of Great Lords.”

Gandolfo hadn’t let up with that thoughtful stare of his. Now I REALLY hated him. He continued to intrude on my purposefully calm ignorance.

“By the way; a certain ‘forbidden’ topic has started to circulate again among the lower castes.”

This discussion was getting dangerous. If the topic was what I thought it was . . .! A whole pack of new thought demons converged on my already shattered peace of mind.

“What topic?” I cautiously inquired.

Gondolfo wasn’t about to let me off the hook THAT easily. Actually, he was looking positively grim. He spat out one word like profanity.

“Genesis!”

The demons started gnawing at my guts. #@$%, not THAT subject again! I was trying very hard to maintain my outward calm, but cracks in my defenses were starting to show. I managed to calmly utter one word.

“Why?”

“It seems the Terrans are getting restless. Someone, or ones, has been sneaking forbidden tech to the natives. I’ve tried to track the source down, but whoever it is manages to stay at least one step ahead of my investigators. Over the last couple of centuries, I’ve been getting the feeling that the Terrans no longer want, or need, us here. It’s possible Seth has been stirring up dissent, but, if so, he’s only managed to shoot himself in the foot. If we leave without him the Terrans will tear him to shreds the moment we lift off. My best guess is that Dagon is behind the rumors. Fish face would give his scales to see us gone. Then he and HIS boss, D’Garan, could make lunch out of the defenseless Terrans. His partner in crime, Baal, is one of us, but D’Garan, Dagon, and their fishy friends were here when we first arrived, and they damn well intend to be here after we leave.”

I glared at Gondolfo, trying to think a hole right through his forehead.

“We’re not going anywhere! Fact is, we couldn’t even if we wanted to. The whole Solaris system is under Empire interdict. The force field bubble placed around this star system keeps us all bottled up nice and cozy like. Genesis isn’t going to happen!”

Terran autonomy! Those two words haunted my worst nightmares and gave me ulcers. We’d, carefully and with some trepidation, created the Terrans to continue our legacy several Terran millennia earlier. We’d made mistakes (some of them were still wandering the planet) but, overall, had created viable successors out of native and Tellurian genes. Slowly but surely we had guided Terran development over the years, cautious to make sure they didn’t get their infant hands on our Eldethi ‘toys’. In the main we’d been successful, but our Terran ‘children’ had grown up and wanted access to grownup things.

Gondolfo was looking even more grim, if such a thing was possible. Then, out of nowhere, he dropped the big bomb.

“What about the Half-castes? They’re half Eldethi, half Terran. Where do they fit in the overall scheme of things?”

Those thought demons were starting to nibble on my frontal lobes.

“Well, if we COULD leave, most likely they’d try to fill the power vacuum left by us. Result? New inept ‘Great Lords’ and really pissed off full Terrans. Both sides would go to war in a heartbeat. End result? Terra would be destroyed, and there would be TWO asteroid belts in the inner solar system instead of one. Our ancestors home planet Tellus was turned into the first one by just such shenanigans. I am not about to see it happen again. Not on MY watch!!”

Figuring that my peace of mind was pretty much destroyed, I left the veranda and headed toward the lift, Gondolfo right behind me. Sometimes I thought Gondolfo had some canine blood in him the way he constantly shadowed me. Come to think of it, he looked a little wolfish with his tall, lean frame and loping stride. But then, that was why he was my ‘number one’. I could always count on Gondolfo being right where he was needed, even before I knew was there was a problem. Still, a little time to myself would’ve been nice.

The lift took us down some fifty floors until we’d reached level sixteen and the main audience hall. As usual, the place was packed with the ever present courtiers, petitioners wanting my favor about some problem or other, and my Seraphim troops, making order out of chaos. There were also Half cast clerics running to and fro and winding in and out of the crowd, collecting petitions and other bric-a-brac. As we approached the dais where sat the throne of Avalon, I noticed that Athena, my eldest daughter, and two of my sons, Tarsus and Gabriel, had arrived before me. The three of them were holding a tense, whispered discussion, the gist of which must have been pretty heated as Gabriel was red faced and gesticulating wildly. It took a lot to upset Gabriel, but when he did get riled, the consequences were usually fatal to any nearby furniture.

As I plopped down in my chair, the three debaters promptly shut up and took their respective places in chairs around the throne as Gondolfo took up his Chamberlain’s Staff and rapped the floor for silence. Casting my gaze about the hall, I noted the usual number of High Lords and Ladies of my Realm of Avalon with their spouses and retinues. The immense hall was packed that morning. Then I spotted a knot of dignitaries wearing the badge of Baal, guarded by a detachment of Nephilim, Baal’s black armored demon troops. Surrounding Baal’s people and guards was another large force of my Seraphim.

Seraphim and Nephilim hated each other with as much fervor as the two android groups were capable of hating. It was more like a nonhuman competition to see who was more capable of full scale mayhem. I was counting very heavily on the discipline of my Seraphim officers to keep matters friendly and peaceful. What I really wanted to know was what in the ^%** were they doing here in the first place?!

The situation must be worse than I thought if Baal was taking the huge risk of sending anyone to my doorstep as it were. He hated my internal organs with a deep, visceral hatred that was truly epic in scope. This particular morning had just gotten a lot more interesting. Gondolfo had spotted them as well and was quietly conferring with the Captain of the Guard. Both were talking in rapid whispers, shaking their heads and, now and then, looking at the strange guests. Crowded as the hall was, the area directly next to Baal’s people was empty. Nobody, it seemed, wanted to get too close. Couldn’t blame them. Baal’s bunch were about as friendly as a cage full of Sabertooths and twice as vicious.

After the crowd had settled themselves down, I turned to Gondolfo for the first order of business. As I had expected, Baal’s people were first up. I nodded and Gondolfo announced their presence and instructed them to come forward. As the group marched up to my throne, the aisle widened as my people tried to get as far away from them as room allowed. Stopping before the dais, one man stepped forward. He was dressed in robes of black and green, Baal’s personal colors. Looking closely I received yet another surprise. Baal had decided to grace my court in person. This was a very bad sign. Until now, Baal had never left his stronghold of Edron unless accompanied by thousands of troops for protection. What could possibly be so out of kilter as to force my nemesis to this extreme? I put one my best poker face and tried to act regal.

“Well, Baal; what brings you to my neck of the woods. Last time we spoke face to face, you swore you’d enter Avalon by walking over my dead body. And last time I looked, I was pretty much alive.”

Baal stood about six feet two inches tall with a slim, wiry frame. His aristocratic face was framed by short hair and a trimmed, well kept partial beard. He talked down to everyone including his wife Lilith. I actually felt some sympathy for Baal as I had been married to her for a short time very long ago. She always wanted to be on top. Another strike against her was that Seth was her son as well as mine. When we parted ways, I’d been tempted to throw her off the nearest cliff. I was talked out of it by Gondolfo, who thought such an action was poor form and beneath my station. Still it was an ever present thought each time I was ‘graced’ by the presence of my first wife. Yup. Baal was already doomed and didn’t even know it. Shifting my thoughts back to the moment at hand, I smiled my most feral shark’s grin and waited for Baal’s reply.

“Amon, we need to talk. I’m in a sort of . . . situation . . . that I can’t seem to escape without assistance.”

I grinned even wider. This was too easy. Still, I wondered what was really going on here.

“What happened? Steal Dagon’s pool water again? Or did Mephisto misread the map again and march your army into a lake. The boy’s dumb even by fish standards.”

Baal made a face like he’d just eaten some sour grapes.

“Actually, I’m here about your son.”

“Which one? I have so many.”

Baal forced the word out of clenched teeth.

“Seth!!!”

I was enjoying this.

“Oh, THAT one. Hmmmph. I’d nearly forgotten the young twit. What has he (I was afraid to ask) done THIS time. Y’know, he’s real good at short sheeting beds. Caught Gondolfo a couple of times with that trick.”

I could tell Baal’s blood pressure was on the rise. Strange thing though. He was still playing it calm. it was a danger sign I should have spotted, but I was enjoying myself too much. I would pay for that oversight later. My court was trying to hide their amusement at my cat and mouse game.

“Is it possible for you to stop clowning around for a little while? Seth has placed me in a conundrum which could have nasty repercussions for all of us.”

“Pray illuminate me on this universal danger. I mean, really. Seth is good, but he’s not THAT good.”

Baal straightened himself and tried his damnedest to look me eye to eye, which was a little difficult to do since I was on the dais and he wasn’t. Then it finally sank in. Baal wasn’t calm at all. He was scared. No, terrified. I’d never before seen him like this, even in the worst of times. Call him what you will, but Baal was certainly no coward. He led his armies into battle instead of sitting on a hill and conducting things from a safe distance. I was starting to get concerned and, yes, I will admit it, slightly tense myself.

Baal continued.

“He found it.”

“It? What is it?”

Baal was getting flustered and his voice had risen an octave.

“The . . . umm . . . well . . .”

“Come on man! Spit it out! What did Seth find that has you so worked up?”

Silence followed my words and, as the seconds ticked by with no response, my tenseness changed to worry. Baal was looking pale and very distraught. His famous ‘cool’ seemed to have deserted him for the first time in his long life. This was no longer funny. He, finally, spoke one word.

“Harbinger!”

“Harbinger . . . ?!”

I sat up ramrod straight. My morning had just gone to hell.

Everything stopped. The hall was totally silent. If I listened carefully enough, I could hear the blood rushing through my veins. If what my reluctant guest said was true, everyone on the planet had just been condemned to death. A slow, lingering, agonizing death to be sure. My shark grin was gone when I next spoke.

“THE Harbinger?”

“The very same.”

Now, I was the one flustered and at a loss for words. This was one of my worst nightmares come true.

“How . . . !!?”

Ball had grabbed a nearby chair and dropped his lanky form into it. His actions were, normally, a gross violation of court etiquette. No one noticed. The whole hall was stunned into silence by the news.

Even the Seraphim and Nephilim stopped glaring at each other.

Baal shakily continued.

“It was about two weeks past. He had been looking for the cursed thing for well nigh seventy years with no luck. Until now. Recently, Seth had heard stories from wandering traders of a great chamber hidden under a mountain. Supposedly, Harbinger was there. Buried by our creators to keep this planet from suffering the same fate as Tellus. Even with the rumor, Seth still had no idea which mountain covered the chamber. That is, until one of those same traders bragged, while drunk, that he could get possession of a device that would lead him to the doomsday weapon. Of course, Seth tortured the man, using every technique known to science.”

“That sounds like Seth alright.” I interjected. “The brat never understood the word ‘moderation.”

My interruption got me a nasty glare from Baal as he continued.

“As I was saying . . . Seth tortured the trader to death, but before the man died, a final mind scan revealed the location of the locator device. Seth sent Nephilim to retrieve it, and, thus equipped, went directly to the hidden weapon. I found out about it when one of Seth’s servants in my employ overheard Seth bragging and showing off his find. He was happier than a kid in a candy store. I got a good description and tried to steal it. No luck. Seth had locked the thing up and Dagon wasn’t about to give me the combination. He trusts me even less than he trusts Seth. Besides, I’m certain he’s planning on finding a way to steal it for his boss D’Garan. So, I swallowed my pride and came here. Amon, we are in very great danger now that Seth has Harbinger.”

That was an understatement, but something just didn’t add up. The idea of that inhuman, tentacle faced monster D’Garan getting his mitts on Harbinger was far more frightening than Seth having it. But not by much. Still, the math wasn’t right.

“Baal; If Seth accomplished everything you said, then why isn’t he rubbing our noses in it already? I mean, if I’d grabbed Harbinger, I’d let the world know it. After all, Harbinger is basically the last word in death and destruction. Witness Tellus. The balance of power would tip totally in my favor. So . . . why isn’t Seth yelling his victory to the heavens?”

Baal looked confused and sucker punched. I continued.

“What did Seth do after he showed you his trophy? Did he put it on display? Lock it up in his armory? Do a victory dance? WHAT!?”

Baal looked really uncomfortable.

“Well . . . He didn’t show me the WHOLE device. Just one piece. Seth said he had the rest of Harbinger stored for safe keeping.

I was getting a scary case of ‘oh no, not again!’.

“Baal . . . ?” I asked ever so sweetly. “Did it ever occur to you to take a CLOSE look at Seth’s toy? Hmmmm?”

“Uh . . . no . . ., I, we, just assumed that Seth knew what he was talking about. After all, all the evidence was already there. The trader. The map. The hidden chamber. It never occurred to me to question Seth’s word.”

My shark grin returned, but this time it was really on the grim side. Composing myself, I tried another approach.

“Let’s see if I have this straight. You took the unquestioned word of a psychopathic sociopath with delusions of godhood? That about cover it?”

Baal was really looking uncomfortable. He stared at his boots, the floor, anywhere else but at me.

“Uummm . . . yup. That about says it all.”

“Baal. Do you happen to know where the device was found?”

“Atlas Mountains. Second summit, deep cave.”

With a mixed feeling of dread and anticipation, I asked my next, crucial question.

“How many guards?”

“What . . . ?”

“How many guards?! Surely the device was heavily guarded. At least, that’s what the stories say about Harbinger’s location. Lots of armored killers with big, sharp, nasty teeth and sharp, spiky weapons. How many?”

“Seth didn’t say, but I gathered there was only a company of Dagon’s fishy friends. No one else.”

“Baal . . . Seth doesn’t have Harbinger. The location you gave me was the Hellfire site. Not Harbinger!”

“H-how . . ?”

My day had just improved, though not by much. All I could do at that moment was thank the Maker that Seth was as carelessly stupid as I’d hoped he had become.

“How do I know? As head of the Council I’m privy to old data nobody else gets to know about, much less have access to. The site you described matches data about the Hellfire device. Not Harbinger.”

At the news, Baal’s head jerked up and he stared me eye to eye. I continued.

“Seth having Hellfire is bad, but manageable. Harbinger would’ve been another case altogether.”

Baal was looking chipper, but still confused.

“What’s so good about Seth having his claws on Hellfire? We’re still in danger . . . aren’t we?”

“Nope. I’ll tell you a little secret. Seth may have Hellfire, but it’s useless to him.”

“Why?”

I was beginning to think Baal was a little dense. One more time.

“Because . . . I have the detonator. It’s securely locked away where nobody can get to it. Especially Seth.”

Baal looked stunned, confused, and relieved all at once. I wanted to laugh but I really couldn’t find anything funny about the whole affair. If Seth was indeed running around with Hellfire, we were in serious trouble. Seth was extremely smart and capable in scientific matters, and I wouldn’t have put it past the boy to create his own detonator. So much for my sense of security.