Stealing Sacred Fire (54 page)

What Daniel saw in his own
life, and the lives of those he knew, was but a small reflection of
the greater whole. The changes in the world would not be immediate
or dramatic. Gods might have appeared in the sky this night, but
the phenomenon was fleeting, like the brilliance of a fire-work.
What really mattered was what lived and endured within the hearts
of Grigori and humanity. In the moments of stillness, when anger
lost its power, both races would be given a chance, a respite from
cruel feeling, to really see the world and remember what once it
had been. That was Shemyaza’s gift and the legacy of the Chambers
of Light.

Now, at Giza, the great
pendulum of time swung above the earth and rolled the midnight hour
over into the new millennium. Daniel looked down upon the plateau.
He knew that soon the Elder would be leaving this plane forever and
was granted knowledge of his passing.

Deep within the blackest depths
of the oceans, the kings of the earth sang out in booming, siren
voices. Their cry echoed through every sea, lighting up the darkest
caverns. The ultra-sonic tones of their song called to the spirit
that burned brightly in the sky above Giza. The Elder’s form
dispersed in ripples, and travelled like sparkling mist across the
night sky. Faster now, it streamed over the land and the ocean
boiled at its approach. An explosion of sound and spray succeeded
the fusion of salt water and ether; the Elder had plunged into the
waves to join with the wailing song, a song that shook the
world.

Daniel, his perception firmly
back in his own body, knew he had beheld an event that had already
taken place in some parts of the world and waited to take place in
others. He could hardly breathe in the wake of his vision. His eyes
were filled with tears of awe. Dimly, he was aware of the voices of
his companions calling his name. He realised that Gadreel was
shaking him, staring with concern into his face. ‘It’s all right,’
he murmured.

‘It has gone!’ Gadreel cried.
‘It just seemed to break up and vanish.’

Daniel looked over her shoulder
and saw that the apparition of the Elder had disappeared. The
strange luminance had left the pyramids; they were just monuments
of stone. The crowd on the plateau had regained the power of
movement. Shrieks filled the air, whoops of joy, sobs of fear.
People jumped up and down in frenzied excitement, or crouched on
the ground in weeping huddles.

Then, the ground began to shake
once more.

‘What now?’ Lily cried. ‘Is it
over? Daniel, what’s going to happen to us next?’

Daniel had no answer for her. Surely,
now that the power of the Chambers had been released into the world
and the last fragments of the Elders had been set free, the
phenomena should cease. His flesh went cold. What if the Chambers
were collapsing? The entire Giza plateau might be destroyed in an
earthquake. All those people! Daniel shuddered in horror and turned
to Lily. ‘We’ve got to get out of here. All of us!’ The ground
heaved beneath his feet and he stumbled. People were screaming now
and stampeding in all directions. The avatars and their companions
were pushed against the wall of the Sphinx enclosure as people
tried to scrabble out. Tiy had come back to her senses and was
blinking her blind eyes in fear. Melandra held onto her tightly,
trying to murmur comfort. Her own face was distorted in a grimace
of terror.

An immense rumbling roar filled
the air, accompanied by a the sound of splintering rock. The
tremors increased and the remaining people in the enclosure fell to
the ground. Daniel and his companions were engulfed in a bright,
acidic radiance that dazzled their eyes. The great left paw of the
Sphinx had begun to rise up, as if on a giant hinge. Slowly,
slowly, it reared towards the sky. Dust and stone fell down from it
in choking shower.

‘The Chambers!’ Daniel cried.
‘They have opened.!’

The paw had come to rest now,
rising vertically into the air in a parody of a salute. Sand sifted
down from it in granular streams. Gradually, the tremors died away,
until there was stillness.

Daniel jumped to his feet and
ran towards the opening that had appeared beneath the paw. His
companions followed closely. Light poured out of the tunnel
revealed below the monument. A great stone ramp disappeared
downwards into its radiance.

Other people around the Sphinx
had staggered to their feet and now cautiously approached the
opening. Crowds on the plateau had surged towards the lip of the
enclosure to see what had happened. The avatars and their
companions formed a line at the front of the crowds.

‘Shall we go down?’ Gadreel
asked.

Daniel shook his head. ‘Not
yet.’ He felt at peace, his heart full of a joyous warmth. Why had
he lacked faith? He had been wrong. He should have known.

A shadow formed against the
white radiance, the shape of a tall figure who was walking up the
ramp towards the opening.

‘Who is it?’ Pharmaros
asked.

Daniel looked at her. ‘Do you
have to ask?’ He could wait no longer and stepped into the
radiance, holding out his arms. Presently, Shemyaza, reborn and
naked, stepped into his embrace.

An ululating wail broke the
silence, the sound of women’s voices, but no longer singing a
lament. All across Giza, women of every faith and creed were united
in their beliefs. They sang an instinctive paean. ‘The king has
risen! Long live the king!’

‘Shem,’ Daniel breathed. He
could say no more.

Shemyaza held his face in his
hands and kissed him. For a moment, they looked into each other’s
eyes. Daniel was unsure of what he saw in Shemyaza’s gaze. He had
changed; it was inevitable, but the light of love still burned
within him.

‘My vizier,’ Shemyaza said. ‘I
am glad you are here.’

His arm around Daniel’s
shoulder, he walked out of the tunnel and stood before his waiting
followers. Daniel stepped away from him. Shemyaza looked inhuman,
filled with the Elders’ power. His nakedness seemed to enhance his
strangeness. All was silent, and Shemyaza looked into the faces of
his companions, one by one. Behind them, the crowd stared in
uncanny silence, their eyes wide.

Then, an Egyptian soldier
pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Everybody tensed, but the
man fell to his knees and held out to Shemyaza a rough, army
blanket. ‘You must be cold, master,’ he said.

Shemyaza thanked the soldier,
wrapped himself in the blanket, and spoke. ‘Lament no more, my
faithful company, for I have risen.’ Then, he smiled. ‘No more
prophecies. The work is done. Come to me, sisters. I need you.’ As
one, Lily, Tiy, Melandra and Gadreel ran towards him and threw
their arms around him and one another. Shemyaza laughed and called
out above their heads. ‘Come, Pharmaros, why aren’t you with
us?’

Pharmaros hesitated only a
moment, then smiled to herself and went up to join the huddle.
After a few moments, Shemyaza gently eased himself from the women’s
hold and stepped forward, holding the blanket at his throat. Helen
stood alone in front of him and he squatted down before her. For a
while, he just stared at her face.

Then Helen reached out and
touched his cheek with small fingers. ‘I thought that you weren’t
coming back,’ she said. ‘I thought I would be alive in the world,
like you were, but alone.’

Shemyaza ruffled her dark hair.
‘Ishtahar, little Ishtahar. Of course I came back. I couldn’t leave
you here alone. Your love brought me back.’ He kissed her
forehead.

Tiy nodded at them, smiling.
‘You have some growing to do, girl, but it will not be long before
you are a woman and will become his bride. You will be the queen of
heaven.’

Helen smiled shyly and fought
to suppress a shy giggle. She was still just a child.

Shemyaza stood up once more and
turned to Salamiel. ‘My brother, will you welcome me.’

Salamiel uttered an agonised
sound and turned his face away. ‘Why are you alive?’ he asked in an
unsteady voice. ‘I murdered you.’ Then, he whirled round to face
Shemyaza, his red hair flying, yet he spoke in a whisper. ‘”Love
me, Salamiel,” you said. “Kill me,” you said. And I loved you so
much, I did as you asked. Part of me died too in that church, Shem.
Now, here you are. Good as new. You mock my pain!’

Shemyaza shook his head and
spoke softly. ‘No, Salamiel, no. What you did was an act of grace.
It brought in the new epoch. I had the easier job.’ He kept his
eyes fixed on Salamiel’s face and sank to his knees. ‘Please,
Salamiel, don’t look on me as the person you destroyed. The world
is different now, and so am I. I don’t want to play the martyr. You
think you murdered me, violated me, but what you did was purify me.
The scapegoat of the people is dead now, forever.’

Tiy raised her arms and spoke,
her cracked voice ringing out over the crowd. ‘It is accomplished!
All your struggles are ended, Salamiel. Do not hold on to them! The
salvation of your land and the glory of your people is at hand. If
you must weep tears, then weep tears of joy.’

Shemyaza suppressed a smile.
Then, he lowered his head. ‘Give me your forgiveness, brother.
That’s all I ask.’

Salamiel looked down upon
Shemyaza’s bent head. He glanced to the side and caught Daniel’s
furious eye glaring directly at him. Then he sighed and knelt down
before Shemyaza. ‘Then, I forgive you, brother.’ He laughed
shakily. ‘Daniel will not forgive me if I don’t.’

They embraced, and then
Shemyaza rose to his feet. He held out his arms and his voice rang
out across the sands of Giza. ‘Gather around me, my brethren. We
shall return to the city of Babylon. There our paradise will be
regained.’

Daniel tucked himself beneath
the wing of Shemyaza’s arm, and together they led the company out
of the enclosure. The crowds parted before them. Some saw Christ
pass among them, others saw the god Osiris risen from the Realm of
the Dead, while still more welcomed the return of their
prophet.

The pyramids stood sentinel
against the sky. In the distance, the bells of the Coptic churches
pealed in the New Year. And from the lofty tower of a mosque, the
sound of a muezzin’s cry echoed to the east. The last scapegoat had
fallen from the mountain.