Eden (Eden Saga) Read online

  “Anything I should know about?” she asked, though she was only half-joking. “Is my guide threatening you?”

  Father Callahan released a nervous chuckle and motioned towards Koneh. “I was just asking him about his scars-”

  Eyebrows raised, she looked at Koneh and asked, “And what did he tell you?”

  “Not much.”

  “Father Callahan has some food. Warm food,” Koneh said.

  “Yes, I was heating some soup when you arrived. Would you like some?” Father Callahan said as he stepped out of the room.

  The stench of the sulfur must have masked the soup’s scent, but now Alexandra caught a whiff of the food.

  “Yes!” she said. She heard the priest shuffle around in the other room. Exhausted, she dropped the duffel bag and then laid in a pew. The unforgiving wood creaked and provided little comfort. She was glad to be off her throbbing feet – feet covered only by soiled, layered tube-socks.

  “So where are you headed?” Father Callahan asked as he carried two steaming bowls into the main section of the church. He rested one near her head and then settled in the pew behind her to sip his own soup.

  Alexandra dove into the rice soup. Though it was a bit bland compared to the Thai counterpart she was accustomed to eating at lunch, the meal warmed her belly.

  At least it wasn’t another granola bar.

  As she enjoyed the soup, she allowed Koneh to answer the priest’s questions. Of course, she doubted her companion would provide any actual answers. Let someone else feel the pain of talking to her guide.

  “Tell me something, Father,” Koneh said from the pew opposite Alexandra. Somehow she was stuck in the middle of the two men. “Have you had any visions? Has God spoken to you?”

  Without looking up from his soup, Father Callahan huffed and said, “Nothing like that, traveler.”

  “Did you know this was going to happen?” Koneh asked.

  This time, Father Callahan lifted his eyes to Koneh and smiled. “If I did, do you think I’d be caught here in the middle of nowhere?”

  Father Callahan shook his head and then returned his attention to his soup. In between mouthfuls he said, “If the Pope or my superiors in my order knew anything about this, they certainly didn’t make the effort to contact any of their ministries in good ‘ole Meh-hi-co.”

  “Your order?” Alexandra asked.

  “I’m a Jesuit.”

  “Jesuit?”

  Father Callahan nodded. “It’s not as secretive as the History Channel would have you believe. We’re actually the largest order of priests in the Catholic Church.”

  “Oh,” she said, “I see.”

  Koneh leaned backwards and looked to the ceiling. Somehow, his ragged hood stayed in place. Alexandra wondered if it was stapled to his scalp.

  Finished with his soup, Father Callahan rested his elbows on the back of Alexandra’s pew and steeped his fingers. After studying Koneh for a moment, Father Callahan said, “Koneh. I’ve heard that name before.”

  Turning his icy gaze to the priest, Koneh said, “I guarantee you haven’t.”

  Father Callahan curled his lips to the left side of his face. “Where did you say you were from again?”

  “I didn’t.” Koneh’s stare was terrifying enough to send a shiver down Alexandra’s spine. She found comfort in her near-empty soup bowl.

  After a few moments of silence, she finished her soup and said, “He doesn’t like to talk about himself, Father.”

  “Forgive me, then. I mean no disrespect.”

  Koneh nodded.

  “So,” Father Callahan said with some levity in his voice, “where are you headed? Did you already answer that?” He scratched his white and gray chin stubble.

  “No,” Alexandra said, “we didn’t answer that one. To tell you the truth, I don’t know either. My guide likes to keep his secrets. For now, we’re just trying to find a safe place.”

  She smiled as she now had an ally, someone else who wanted the answers that Koneh kept safeguarded.

  Koneh looked past her and said, “Tell me Father, what do you know of Eden?”

  “As in ‘The Garden of’?”

  “If that’s what you prefer.”

  Father Callahan wrinkled his brow and said, “What’s there to know? Eden is where God created Man. I have a bible if you’re interested-”

  Alexandra laughed.

  After pausing for a moment to playfully scold her with his eyes, Koneh said, “Have you ever heard of an explorer named James Bruce?”

  Father Callahan scratched his chin again and looked to one of the church’s empty window frames. Then, he grinned and said, “Whew! I had to go way back there. Yes – James Bruce – he rediscovered the Book of Enoch in Ethiopia in the 1700s.”

  Koneh nodded and said, “1773. And that’s not all he discovered.”

  Alexandra’s curiosity leapt to attention. “What else did he find?”

  “Another book – the full version of the Book of Eden.”

  “That’s non-canonical.”

  Koneh huffed. “Do you really want to debate the validity of church-approved and church-denounced material after all you have seen, Father?”

  Father Callahan shrugged and said, “By all means, continue.”

  “You see, the Book of Eden went into great detail about the true nature of the Garden of Eden, Adam, Lilith and Eve.”

  Alexandra put her hand up to stop Koneh. “Wait a minute,” she said, feeling like the slow kid in class, “who’s Lilith?”

  “Adam’s first wife,” Koneh said.

  “Non-canonical,” Father Callahan said.

  “May I continue?” Koneh asked.

  “Please do,” Father Callahan said.

  “So,” Koneh said, “the Book of Eden was long incomplete. The missing parts describe Eden’s true nature, and how it is our heaven – the final resting place of mortal souls.”

  Alexandra raised her hand again. “What do you mean our heaven?”

  “God’s heaven is for God and His servants – angels. Mortal souls have no place there.”

  “Well,” Father Callahan said, “Every shred of biblical and spiritual material contradicts that assertion.”

  Koneh raised a finger and smiled. “Except the full Book of Eden.”

  “Which may or may not have existed,” Alexandra said. “Where is all of this leading, anyway?”

  “Everything will be clear in a moment, please be patient for once,” Koneh said, though Alexandra didn’t detect malice in his voice. “Eden is described as the doorway between Heaven and Earth, a place where mortal and immortal souls coexist. The gist of Heaven is right in the bible, but the place is wrong. The place is on Earth – in Eden.”

  Father Callahan shook his head and frowned. “I’m with Alexandra. What does all of this nonsense mean?”

  Koneh exhaled and said, “Yeshua failed to reclaim Eden for mankind. He was not supposed to die. His task was to reopen Eden to human souls so they could experience paradise for eternity.”

  “Yeshua?” Alexandra asked.

  “Sorry,” Koneh said. “Yeshua, the man you know as ‘Jesus.’”

  “Through his death, our sins were forgiven,” Father Callahan said, his voice betraying annoyance with Koneh’s outlandish assertions.

  “Our sins can only be forgiven if Yeshua forgave them – but he did not,” Koneh said.

  “How do you know he didn’t?” Alexandra asked. She thought Koneh only partially insane a day ago. Now she knew he was beyond all reason.

  “I know because Eden has not been open to us for the past two thousand years, like it had been in the time of Genesis.”

  Father Callahan whistled. “Friend, I’ve heard some pretty crazy theories in my time, but that one takes the cake.”

  Koneh narrowed his eyes at the priest and asked, “Tell me Father, who took your women?”

  Clearly uncomfortable, Father Callahan leaned back in his pew and said, “Demons.”

  “Right. And
who do you think these Demons are searching for?”

  “I never thought I’d be saying this, but they are likely searching for the Messiah. It’s all in Revelation.”

  “Makes sense that the New Messiah enters the world just like the last one – as a human child,” Koneh said.

  Alexandra curled her mouth in confusion. “Surely He would arrive more… protected?”

  Koneh turned his black-in-black eyes to her and her heart fluttered under his stare. Danger and mystery waited behind those eyes. “God works in mysterious ways,” he said.

  “Okay, okay.” Father Callahan stood and paced in the aisle. “I’ll admit that I don’t understand what’s going on. Though the quake, the blackened sky and the demons lead me in only one direction. You said you had a point to all of this? Please, enlighten us.”

  “Very well,” Koneh said. “You asked where we were headed.”

  Alexandra and Father Callahan leaned towards Koneh.

  Koneh smiled and said, “I travel to Eden.”

  Chapter 7

  “What? Eden?” Alexandra was exasperated. “First you tell me you talked to God, and now we’re traveling to a mystical garden?”

  “Surely this cannot be that difficult to accept. After all, you’ve seen an angel,” Koneh said.

  The image of Erzulie’s unearthly beauty flashed into Alexandra’s mind – the angel’s ashen skin, the flowing dress, and those white-in-white eyes which provided a keen contrast to Koneh’s bottomless black eyes.

  “Wait a second,” Father Callahan said as he stopped his pacing and turned towards Koneh. “You talked with God?” he asked in a tone of disbelief.

  “That’s what he believes, anyway,” Alexandra said.

  Ignoring the barb, Koneh turned to Father Callahan and said, “Yes, I was warned of the coming destruction and I was instructed that Eden would be our beacon.”

  “That’s just-” Father Callahan’s aggression faded as he appeared to lose himself in thought. Then, he turned to Alexandra and asked, “And you’ve seen an angel?”

  She nodded.

  “What did it look like?” Father Callahan said and then abruptly changed his course. “Never mind that. Something’s familiar about-” After another pause he scurried out of the room, but she paid him little attention.

  “Koneh, you failed to mention Eden when we talked about this before.”

  Shifting in his pew, Koneh said, “It remains… a delicate situation.” He then stood and paced the aisle, much like Father Callahan had done a few moments earlier. Alexandra cringed when she noticed the frayed cloth covering his chest – the place he was shot less than twelve hours ago. What other secrets did he possess? Now that Alexandra had an ally – Father Callahan – she was determined to discover those secrets.

  “Well?” she asked.

  Koneh halted and leveled his dark eyes upon her. “Is it really so hard to believe?” He asked the question with the usual rasp in his voice, like a senior citizen who smoked too many cigarettes in his day. “I am still getting a handle on all that has happened myself.”

  “Then tell me all you know!” She stood and met him in the aisle. Her voice softened. “Listen. I appreciate all you’ve done, but you terrify me. Those men… you killed them, Koneh. I need to know why you think Eden exists and why you are headed there. Give me something.”

  This time, he yielded under her gaze.

  He whispered, “I told you before – I am searching for answers and I hope to find them in Eden-”

  “Why Eden?”

  For the first time since she met Koneh, Alexandra felt pity for her companion. Though he claimed to know where he was going, he seemed lost to her. Something in his voice cried-out for help. She could read that much. She found herself wondering about his true nature. Was he the killer on the bluff or the man who showed great caring as he cradled her wounded ankle? Further, why was she so drawn to him? She scolded her common sense for failing to keep her curiosity in check when it came to her new friend.

  Koneh turned to face her again. The edge was gone from his scarred-smooth face and he said, “I believe Eden holds answers for us all. I cannot lie to you.”

  She touched his arm and smiled. “Then don’t.”

  Koneh’s eyes closed and she snapped her hand back to her side. However, the contact was less strange than the last time. There was nothing perverse about his reaction. He seemed genuinely relieved when she touched him.

  His eyes opened and he whispered, “I also cannot tell you everything quite yet. I am sorry.”

  Alexandra sighed and grasped the pew banister with both hands behind her back. She leaned into the wood and said, “You’re not making it easy for me to trust you.”

  “I found it!” cried Father Callahan from the other room.

  Before either of them could respond, the priest burst back into the main chamber of the church waving a bible.

  “This is it. I knew I heard that before.” Father Callahan almost tore the pages from the binding as he scanned through the back section of the holy book.

  “Heard what, Father?” Alexandra asked.

  Instead of responding, Father Callahan mumbled to himself and turned more pages. Alexandra looked to Koneh, who shrugged.

  “Here it is.” Father Callahan settled on a page and turned the book towards them.

  Alexandra’s lawyer eyes quickly scanned the page, but she was lost as the Bible was written in Latin. However, she noticed the text was full of scribbles, cross-outs and hand-written notes in the margins – also in Latin.

  “My Latin’s not so good anymore,” she said, scrunching her nose.

  Father Callahan pointed to one of the notes and translated, “‘And I beheld, Eden shall be the Beacon’.”

  “Whose book was this?” Koneh asked with piqued interest.

  “It belonged to my mentor, Bishop Palusa from Rome.”

  Alexandra leaned towards the book and asked, “What else does it say?”

  “Well,” Father Callahan said, “on this page the word ‘Lamb’ is crossed out and replaced with the word ‘Lion’ several times.”

  Koneh looked from the book to Father Callahan and said, “Did Bishop Palusa have the gift of prophecy?”

  Father Callahan shook his head and said, “No, no. He was… sick, in his older years.”

  “Sick?” Alexandra asked.

  “Alzheimer’s. And some paranoia. But he was a good man.”

  Alexandra noted the pain in his voice, so she decided to let the subject drop. However, her traveling companion was not so sensitive.

  “Where did he live? Who did he study under?” Koneh said.

  “Does it matter?” Father Callahan said as he snapped the book shut, “He’s gone and this is just a coincidence.”

  “How many coincidences do you need Father?” Koneh said. “Tell me, when did he assign you to this church in Mexico?”

  Father Callahan took a step backwards and dropped the Bible. The thud from the heavy book echoed in the ruined church. Dust billowed from the floor as the echo died.

  “Strange that someone who was not in a position to make such an assignment sent you here,” Koneh said. “But, you came anyway.”

  “How… how could you know that?” Father Callahan left his mouth open after breathing the words.

  “I don’t,” Koneh said. “Bishop Palusa and I shared the same vision or, at least, parts thereof. My vision led me to Mexico – to you, Father.”

  “Amen. Well, we should read the rest of the Revelation and see what else Bishop Palusa had to say,” Father Callahan said as he kneeled to retrieve the book.

  “That is why I am here.”

  “Start from the beginning,” Alexandra said as the small group huddled together over the book. Could this altered bible hold some answers? The thought was both absurd and remotely plausible after spending several days in the wasteland.

  Father Callahan wiped his hand across the dusty surface and opened the bible to the Revelation again. He pointed at th
e first scribble. “Here, the Messiah is described as having a sword in his hand instead of in his mouth.”

  “Well, that makes more sense,” Alexandra said, suppressing the gruesome vision of Koneh’s sword decapitating the shotgun man.

  “The next one… okay, here,” Father Callahan said. “The seven stars are instead the Seven Coursers – generals in the Messiah’s army.”

  Koneh huffed. “Genghis Khan was said to have four hounds and four coursers serving him. They were his best warriors and generals. Interesting Bishop Palusa would choose the word Courser.”

  “Indeed,” Father Callahan said as he scanned the next note. “This one’s confusing. Bishop Palusa writes that he sees two swords, instead of a double-edged sword. ‘Two swords to turn back the darkness.’ It looks like he’s just rambling here.”

  Koneh studied the hand-written notes and nodded.

  Father Callahan continued, “Let’s see, ‘sword of my mouth’ is crossed off here and replaced with ‘sword of Eden’s sin’… whatever that means. Umm… the word ‘thief’ is replaced with ‘vagabond’ or ‘wanderer’... my Latin’s not perfect.”

  “Better than mine,” Alexandra said.

  Smiling, Father Callahan returned his attention to the pages. “Okay, now we’re into the section where ‘Lamb’ is replaced with ‘Lion.’ Interesting. ‘The seven thunders told John to not write of God’s mystery, which was revealed to him.’ Here, in the margin, Bishop Palusa wrote ‘God is not here for us’.”

  Alexandra shivered. Was all of this the senseless ramblings of an insane priest?

  “Hmm… the first time the word ‘testament’ appears, Bishop Palusa circled it and wrote in the margin ‘The Covenant will be upheld!’ Further along, he crosses out the section on the saints and writes that the Church will fail to keep the commandments and will pursue the Lion. The rest of this page is smudged and unreadable.”

  “Lots of those notes look damaged,” Alexandra said.

  “Yeah, I’m having trouble with some of these,” Father Callahan said. “Oh, okay. Here. He circled the section about the strange woman, the mother of harlots. Bishop Palusa simply wrote – ‘she is not Babylon… she will be here, who is she?’ Interesting. Wow. The line about Babylon being cast away and seen no more is crossed-out. Instead, Bishop Palusa writes that Babylon will be reborn in greater sin and evil. Wow.”