Stealing Sacred Fire (20 page)

Shem raised his eyebrows. ‘Oh?
Such as what?’

‘Perhaps we could go to
Babylon.’ He was clearly fighting to keep his voice calm, but an
almost fanatical light had come into his eyes. ‘Shem, it is time
for you to use your power. You are the divine king of angels. Isn’t
your job to change the world? You must rise up as the warrior, not
the peace-maker. That has been tried and failed. We should go to
Babylon and claim its armies for your own.’

Shem laughed incredulously.
‘No, Sal. That doesn’t feel right to me. I just have to find
Gadreel. I have to find my brethren.’

Salamiel snorted in contempt.
‘How long must we wait? What is going to happen?’

‘I don’t know. Daniel will
discover this for me.’

‘Daniel!’ Salamiel’s voice was
full of scorn. ‘Shem, why do you keep him by you? He’s told us
hardly anything of use recently, and let’s face it, he doesn’t even
warm your bed for you any more. I think you’re more than capable of
taking on Daniel’s role yourself. You are Shemyaza, more powerful
than anyone.’

Shem narrowed his eyes and his
voice became harder. ‘How little you know me, Salamiel. I don’t
ever want to hear you speak of Daniel like that again.’

‘Someone has to point out the
obvious to you,’ Salamiel answered, but the fire had gone from his
eyes. ‘I’m sorry. I only have your interests at heart.’

Shem shook his head once more,
and stood up. ‘I have to speak to that woman again. Let’s go
back.’

Shem had left Fatime alone for
a few days, but when he returned to the village, he marched
straight up to her and announced, ‘We can’t stay here for ever. We
need your help. I’d like you to send another message to Gadreel for
us.’

‘I have sent messages,’ Fatime
replied curtly, ‘and have received no answer. He might not come.
You must face this.’

‘Send another message,’ Shem
said. ‘I will pay for it.’

Fatime shrugged. ‘Waste your
money, then. I will do as you ask.’

That night, after a brief
private discussion, Salamiel and Daniel demanded that Shemyaza sit
down with them to discuss what they should do next. The supplies
they had brought with them had run out and they were now a burden
on Fatime’s limited resources. Shem was all for heading off into
the mountains with the help of one of Fatime’s people. He felt sure
they could pay someone to guide them. Salamiel pointed out that
they had no money left, and suggested they return to Van, in the
hope of making contact with a Yarasadi there. Also, there were
banks in Van where they could withdraw further funds.

‘We are wasting our time here,’
Salamiel said.

Daniel felt Salamiel was right.
‘We’ve got to face it: Gadreel doesn’t want to know about us.’

Shem shook his head. ‘You’re
wrong. We can’t give up. We are meant to be here. Gadreel will
come.’

Fatime had strolled over to
where they sat, clearly interested in the outcome of their
conversation. It didn’t take long to work out she’d been
eavesdropping for some time. ‘Your companions are sensible,
Shemyaza. You should return to Van. Afterwards, if you still want
to go down to the plains of Babylon, one of my people could guide
you further south to the foothills, but first you will need
supplies and transport. Your safety cannot be guaranteed.’

‘Two more days,’ Shemyaza said.
‘Then we shall see.’ He looked up at Fatime. ‘We shall repay you in
full measure for your hospitality.’

Fatime made a dismissive gesture. ‘No.
There is no need.’

When she walked away, Daniel
went after her. He touched her arm to get her attention. ‘I know
how much you are helping us,’ he said. ‘Why?’

‘Helping you?’ Fatime looked
puzzled. ‘I have done little. You, Daniel, have done more these
last weeks to help me.’

Daniel shook his head. ‘No. You
could have used us as hostages, Fatime. I’m not blind to the fact
you are willing to let us walk out of here back to Van. You
wouldn’t let us walk out alone either, would you. Why?’

She smiled. ‘Instinct. Maybe.
You could never be hostages.’ She glanced back at Shemyaza and
Salamiel. ‘Your friends, they frighten me, Daniel. But they belong
here.’ With that, she held up a hand to silence any more questions
and walked quickly away.

The two days passed, and as
Daniel expected, there was still no sign of the Yarasadi. Fatime
offered to lend them a jeep and a guide to return to Van, although
she told them there had been some trouble on the road out of the
mountains and some of it might be impassable.

‘We have no choice,’ Salamiel
said.

Daniel could tell that Shemyaza
felt disheartened by Gadreel’s failure to appear. He had no doubt
imagined some dramatic reunion when everything would fall into
place. To Daniel, Gadreel’s decision to keep a distance indicated
that he could not be a reawakened Watcher as Shem had thought. He
was probably nothing other than a Kurdish peshmerga, who had simply
adopted a name he considered to be powerful.

At dusk, they loaded their
possessions into the covered jeep. Most of the people seemed sorry
to see them go. Fatime embraced Daniel and wished him luck. Adina
clung to his legs, weeping, until Fatime prised her away and led
her to a group of women nearby. Daniel knew he could not take her
with them; they had no idea what would happen to them or where
they’d end up. He made a firm decision that, once he returned home,
he would try to help her people, in whatever way he could. If he
returned home. With this thought, his mind became utterly still.
For the first time, he considered leaving Shem behind. His role as
vizier seemed to have disappeared. He had lost the keenness of his
psychic sight. Shem needed a new vizier. Perhaps he would find one
in these mountains, some native of his ancient homeland. Daniel
rested his forehead against the canvas of the jeep, pretending to
be engrossed in fixing it to the vehicle’s frame. It’s finished, he
thought. I’ve played my part.

‘Daniel?’ Shem’s hand curled
around his shoulder. ‘What’s wrong?’

Daniel paused for a moment,
wondering whether he dared to speak his mind. Then the words were
being spoken, almost independently of his will. ‘Shem, I think I’ll
be going home.’

Shem was silent as he
considered this statement, then he laughed softly. ‘That’s good
news. I know you feared we’d all get killed up here.’

‘No. I mean soon. Now. I don’t
want this any more.’

Shem sighed impatiently. ‘We’ll
return to Van, and see what happens. Something will happen. I’m
sure of it.’

Daniel pulled away angrily.
‘Will you listen to me for once? I’m going back to England. I could
get a flight out of Van to Istanbul. It’s over, Shem. I don’t
belong with you any more.’

People around them had stopped
what they were doing to listen to the argument. Fatime sucked
pensively on a cigarette nearby, her eyes narrow and watchful.

‘You can’t go back,’ Shem said
quietly. ‘There’s nothing there for you. Your place is with
me.’

‘No. I’ve changed. I’m no use
to you now. I’m not the Taliesin I was to you in Cornwall. Give me
one last thing. Give me the money to get home.’

Shem’s hands shot out and
grabbed Daniel’s wrists. He pulled Daniel towards him, making him
wince in pain as the bones in his wrists ground together. ‘You are
not trying, Daniel! You’re forsaking your duty!’ He shook Daniel
like a rat in the jaws of a dog.

Salamiel sauntered over to
them. ‘Let him go, Shem. He may be right. We’re all exhausted.
Let’s talk about this back in Van.’

Shem uttered an angry cry and
threw Daniel against the side of the jeep. But for this movement,
the entire camp around them had become still. Children watched with
wide eyes.

Salamiel thrust himself between
them and tried to break Shem’s grip on Daniel’s arms. Daniel struck
out with his feet and caught Shem on the shin, which prompted him
to transfer his grip to Daniel’s throat.

Salamiel punched at Shem’s
face, yelling, ‘You’ll kill him, for Anu’s sake! Shem, let go!’

Daniel flailed and hit out with
his arms, striking Shem around the head. He retched and gasped in
Shem’s hold. So, Shemyaza would kill him now. Was this the end of
it? He became overwhelmed with a numbing lethargy, and could no
longer feel the pain of suffocation. Sound became faint in his
ears, replaced by a rushing like the sea. His vision blurred. Then,
Shemyaza had let him go, almost as if something else had attracted
his attention.

Daniel slumped to his knees,
wheezing and coughing, his hands against his throat. Salamiel and
Shemyaza were like giants before him; inhuman and terrible, their
hair coiling like snakes around their heads and shoulders in the
evening breeze.

‘Daniel.’ Salamiel squatted
down before him, took his face in his hands. ‘Are you all
right?’

Daniel swallowed painfully and croaked,
‘Yes.’ He was surprised by this unexpected show of concern, but let
Salamiel help him to his feet. Daniel could not look at Shem.
Wiping his eyes to clear his vision, he saw ghosts everywhere; dark
shapes that had melted out of the dusk. They seemed be floating
down from the rocky crags around them; black cloth swirling round
them like wings. One of them came towards the jeep, and Daniel saw
it was not a ghost at all, but a man dressed in a dark robe with a
red scarf wrapped around his head. They had come then, at last:
Yarasadi. Daniel knew it had been decided for him: he would not be
going home just yet.

Shem had already caught sight
of the robed figures. He had straightened up and now stepped
forward to address the one who seemed to be the leader of the
group. Fatime, however, intervened, moving quickly to place herself
between Shem and the stranger. She spoke to the leader in rapid
Kurmanji and then turned to Shem. ‘These people are Yarasadi. It is
unclear whether they are here because of the messages, for they
claim to know nothing of them, but they do wish to speak with
you.’

‘Is Gadreel with them?’

Fatime shook her head. ‘No. But
that is not unexpected. Nobody meets Gadreel.’

Shem clawed his fingers through
his hair impatiently. ‘Where is Yazid? Did he reach them?’

Fatime again spoke to the
Yarasadi in their own tongue. ‘They will not answer clearly. They
say there is someone they must take you to.’

Shem nodded. ‘That must be
Gadreel. Tell them we will go with them gladly.’

Fatime studied Shem for a
moment. ‘You have to understand, these people are an elite group. I
do not know their activities and cannot vouch for your safety if
you go with them.’

‘I understand, but we must
still go.’

Daniel knew Shem well enough
not to expect an apology for his attack. To Shem, there seemed to
be no difference between an act of cruelty or of love. The
atmosphere in the jeep as they set off from Fatime’s village was
tense and silent. Salamiel seemed embarrassed or guilty about the
episode and would not speak to Daniel, although he did offer a
reassuring pat upon the shoulder as they climbed into the back of
the jeep. Shem said he would drive, although one of the Yarasadi —
a woman — climbed into the front seat beside him, presumably to act
as guide. They could see little of their new companion, as she was
disguised by her costume and the light now was dim. If she could
speak English, she clearly did not intend to do so, and directed
Shem by gestures and sharp remarks in Kurmanji. She kept her gun
upright between her robe-swathed knees; a fearless female who had
no anxiety about travelling with three male strangers. The other
Yarasadi disappeared back into the shadows of the rocks.

They drove through the night,
along mountain roads that looked — and felt — as if they had not
been travelled by wheeled vehicles for centuries. Progress was slow
and on several occasions the company had to alight from the jeep to
manhandle it out of a deep rut in the road.

Daniel knew that he could no
longer avoid speaking to Shem about their relationship. Shem’s
unexpected violence hid more than mere annoyance that Daniel wanted
to leave him. At one time, their alliance had been intense and
passionate, but it had been spoiled by Shem’s long recuperation
from his ordeal in Cornwall. Daniel wondered whether his withering
psychic ability was something to do with the fact that he and Shem
had become estranged. If he was to remain part of the Grigori’s
destiny, then he must face the resentments that had built up within
him, and break down the barriers of hostility. How and when he had
yet to work out.

Cornwall,
England

Lily Winter was worried about her
daughter, Helen. The child had had a mild fever for three days now,
and the attentions of the young Grigori physician whom Enniel had
sent to the cottage seemed to have done nothing to alleviate
Helen’s condition. Tonight, it was worse.

Helen’s body was hot and dry,
her breath sour as she tossed and whimpered on her bed. Lily bathed
her daughter’s forehead with the fragrant herbal concoction that
the physician, Master Malagriel, had left for her. Five minutes
earlier, Lily had again called Malagriel, who had assured her that
the child was in no danger. Lily wondered how the physician had
come to that conclusion. To her, Helen’s condition looked very
serious.

Again, Lily couldn’t help
wondering whether Helen had been affected by the strange insect she
had found on the cliffs on the day of the eclipse. The creature had
been dead when Helen found it, and resembled no beetle that Lily
had seen before. She had showed it to Malagriel, afraid that the
stiff lifeless form had somehow stung Helen. The physician had
looked at the insect with interest. ‘It seems to be a scarab — and
a very large one at that.’

‘But what was it doing on the
cliffs?’ Lily demanded.