Chapter 31

Adam had been dead about two hundred years. The father of all mankind, the great patriach of all the generations. A man who talked personally with God, face to face, lived 940 years. And those who came after him lived for hundreds of years. Perhaps his death finalized the promise in the minds of the children that all men must die because they worked at a fast pace to build cities as a lasting memorial to their existence, and civilizations which ultimately fell. Cain's mafia society flourished in the prideful hearts of those who wanted wealth and recognition without work. They killed and robbed for gain, and swore oaths to preserve the brotherhood. A city was built as the center of fear, greed, pride, violence and the desire for domination. The first politicians emerged with a mouthful of lies and deceit. This political infection was remembered and preached even unto the time of the bombs during my generation which the politicians left in cinders. Their leader was called the great Mahan. He was Cain’s grandson. The city of the mafia society was called Canaugh and sat at the confluence of two rivers which flowed into the ocean. A large limestone wall protected it from outsiders and oaths were sworn to be admitted inside. The location was an important junction for commercial routes and united the East with the West.

The Great Mahan built a palace of some 18,000 square feet. The walls and floors were embellished with all of the precious rubies, diamonds and turquoise found in the region and hidden up by the elite who established a market of high value. Over each doorway were statues of reptilian entities. And the elite were served by many slaves. The surrounding populace of farmers resided outside the wall in abject poverty. If they were found having one of the precious stones, they would be killed for it. This was the first apostasy. It was as familiar to me as the apostasy of my own millennia, except that the government was the great Mahan figure.
Meanwhile, Laboi tracked the countryside. He fell under the influence of the age, becoming more
wild; attacking animals and humans as well, tearing into flesh with his gnarly teeth and
ripping it to shreds . He mated with a lioness. When we reached the west bank of the city, she bore him cubs he gnashed the bones of the males inside his mouth. The evils of past generations taught me to blend in so I stole a plain brown tunic long enough to conceal my sword. My long unkempt beard aged my face and passing as an old man, I walked safely through crowded villages and cities without being assaulted homosexuals or enticed by whores. I assumed an attitude of senility or stupidity and so was shoved aside. Being old has its down side; no one wants to give bread to the useless.

Chapter 5

For one thing, he had the Ark of the Covenant people and the outlying villages were afraid of Babylonian reprisals so refused to allow his presence. Also, the two daughters of Zedekiah posed a threat since they were the only members of the family who had escaped execution not to mention Prince Eochaidh of whom some said was in Jerusalem conspiring with Zedekiah to assist Egypt and Jerusalem usurp power from the vast Babylonian empire. This dangerous company rode camels all day and night to cross the border into the Sinai desert. This was no easy task. Jeremiah came from a prominent family of means and voice in community affairs. They were wealthy enough to have adobe houses in the city as well as tents which were used as seasonal homes. Effectually they carried their own housing into the desert, heavy tents and cooking pots. If you had wealth, you had flocks to tend. The region has been one of political focus throughout history. The nation of Israel had always been surrounded by powerful nations and required to pay tribute to the Hittites, Egyptians, Assyrians, and now the Babylonians. This time it was the ruthless Nebuchadnezzar who ruled the region with an iron hand and exacted his heavy taxes. Zedekiah was at the end of the lineage of Jewish kings who'd not heeded the word of the prophets and ruled foolishly and selfishly over Jerusalem. Zedekiah's politics were thinly scattered in whichever wind was more promising and he was in collusion with the Egyptian pharaoh to help Egypt capture Babylon and take control of the region. It was a game of ultimate treachery and betrayal and was dangerously stupid because should the Egyptians fail, Jerusalem would be destroyed. The warning of eminent destruction if Israel did not repent was issued from the mouth of the prophets. The young prophet Jeremiah risk his own life when he wrote and delivered prophecies to the king. But the people were entrenched in their own corruption and deceit; obeying God would mean a change of lifestyle. So the prophecies were counter productive to the king's politics. Jeremiah had to hide himself in nearby caves to prevent from being punished. But Jeremiah was energetically determined to do the will of his God; his scribe Baruch made many copies of his prophecies and distributed them about the region.

Chapter 28

The next step was the order, to awaken Heber. It was my turn to carve on the prisoner, cut out his eyes. My soul was wracked with pain. To preserve my own life, I had done Heber’s bidding and helped to kill many villagers that he might conquer Ireland. Like Emus, I had been the consummate warrior, strong, skilled, and willing. The sins of my past gathered inside my head
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like a threatening storm. A stabbing pain shot in my gut. . "I cannot cut out his eyes." I whispered. “It is too much to ask. If anyone is to take revenge, it is Heber. As for me, I do not have it in my heart. I have killed too many, already.” Emus' eyes widened in disbelief. "What then?" "How much agony is required to die? The man will die by himself in a few hours." "If he does, Heber will know that we disobeyed and punish us. We have to awaken Heber." "Would you go to his tent now and let him continue this torture. Can you live with this nightmare?" Emus considered the proposition carefully. "Heber should revenge the death of his own son, but to torture a person unto death .... My innards tell me to leave him be. We must run." My reality was the same as his. We were expendable. "Then so be it. We will find a better life somewhere else." "I do not know anything better." "We should go to Scotland," I said remembering the way to Nel's future village. "What is Scotland?" "The near island across from our landing." Emus worked his way around the camp stealing clothes and trinkets and rolling them into a
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blanket while I cut loose two mares out of the herd. A good choice; the mares flew like the wind. Even if we aroused the camp, no one could catch us. We reached the place where King Milesius left his fleet of ships. A detail of guards were ashore, camped around a bristling fire and imbibing from a keg of ale. "They are careless," I whispered. "We can swim to the far vessel and cut it loose from the others." Emus glared at me. "I will drown!" "You cannot swim?" "No." "If ever we are to be safe from Heber, we must leave this country. Scotland is only a short distance across the sea." "You go," he said stubbornly. "Heremon, will rule the north country. We can make our way west to one of those villages." "How do you know this?" "I heard Melesius say." The next morning Laboi deposited a clump of raw meat in our camp and the hungry Emus thinking nothing of it gulped it down. "The lion had his teeth and vomit in this. We should always roast the wild game over a fire," I told him, digging a pit. Emus stuffed himself and rubbing his aching belly, said: "My belly has never been tight."

Chapter 27

What happened next was a nightmare which I could not dispel; it brooded inside my head. "Emus," Heber ordered, throwing him his knife, "Carve out the belly button!" For a brief uncertain moment Emus hesitated to obey but his instincts pushed the man onto the ground. "No, you cannot do this!" The man howled. "It is not human!" Emus thrust the knife into his stomach and dug a hole around the belly button."Is this what you want, master?" He asked holding up a mass of skin and blood with his fingers. "Give it to me," Heber growled. So Emus dropped the belly button into Heber's hairy fist. "Now
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this is what I call a warrior! I trust Emus even in me sleep." "Is that all, master?" "Does he still breathe?" "He has fainted." Then his fingers pointed towards me, singling me out. "You will dig out the eyes when he awakes. Watch and wait." All night I wrestled with the nightmare inside my head, dreading my part in the torture, thinking of cutting him loose and helping him to escape. I examined the wounds. He had lost too much blood and his death was eminent. But the question was when. I could spare him further agony by killing him. The silver handle of my sword and its long sinewy blade gleamed in the moonlight. I wondered if the cavalier Thomas would leave the deed to the diabolical Heber or give the man a quick death. And how? Would he cut the legs or stab him in the heart? While I poised the sword in different scenarios, the man groaned. He was awake. I hurried to the tent of Heber and stepping over the thirty slaves sleeping in the outer chamber and found Emus. Emus' eyes met mine. He knew. "So it is time," he whispered. "Come, follow me, let us be sure." Emus followed me. The man lay weeping and groaning in a puddle of blood.

Chapter 26

The war against the natives began the next day, six years of bloodshed and terror. The brothers ravished the land and fought with savage strength, attacking villages, taking no captives. They used the element of surprise and vulnerability. Our thirty or so slaves from the coal mine went into battle unafraid. The phenomena of the roles being reversed, issuing trouble instead of receiving it, gave them the courage and pride of the kill. The trance-like loyalty seemed strangely connected to the mindset in the caves. Better the warrior than the slave! Ultimately, we succumbed to Heber's savagery and were as vicious as any trained warrior. Heber's depended on the thirty as his guerilla guards. As a member of this guard, I enjoyed good food and a bed on the floor inside Heber's tent. I stopped thinking of running away. I was becoming another Emus. Milesius intended to conquer all of Ireland and divide it between his three sons but Amergin died at the hand of a native. Heber led the thirty into the wood to avenge the death. If the hunted only knew the futility of his running and the vicious heart of the man Heber, perhaps he would not run so fast. But the man starved himself by hiding in trees and caves and when he was discovered was thin and emaciated. This pitiful creature was pushed, shoved and dragged by the heels through the woods back to camp. Heber uncoiled his whip and laughed. The sinister sounds in his throat caused the man's body to shake uncontrollably and he begged for mercy before the beatings began. But the snake-like coils crackled and lashed unmercifully tearing the skin off of his back. Unfortunately the man was still alive.

Chapter 25

We weighed anchor on the eastern bank of Antrim, a spitting distance from Scotland and unloaded barrels of ale for a celebration. Heber was anxious for a demonstration of the warrior skills of his newly purchased slaves. He gave me a bow. I put an arrow in the cradle of the bow, drew back the string and pitched an arrow feebly above the ground. "No!" He screamed, grabbing the bow and pitching an arrow high into the sky. "Like thus." Once more, I tried and again it shot into the ground. "Learn or die!" he snarled. The fig man was given the same task, and pulling the bow until his fingers bled, expelled an arrow into a suitable distance. Heber nodded. "I knew that you would do it, Emus." "Your name is Emus?" I asked. "I don't know," he whispered. "But am satisfied with the name." "These slaves are natural warriors," Heber bragged to the brothers. "Then you don't mind scrubbing their black skins," they answered laughing. The mocking caused Heber to shove us brutally into the sea, which he did with his own hairy hands. When we came out dripping wet he uncoiled his rapacious whip and cut deeply into our backs. "Heber! Heber!" They chanted. I was stunned. This was Heber! The great Heber of all the legends? No, this brute was the eptimony of raw bestial activity; the decline of human flesh and civilized man, emotionally void except to care about himself; cynically cruel and wasting, eager to kill and destroy. I felt the outline of the Celtic cross hidden under my wet tunic. No, this treasured relic of the ages cannot belong to the arrogant brother! This ancestor had no key to unlock a door into a peaceful world. Warning: US and International Copyright Restrictions Apply.

Chapter 24

We were overcome by the brightness of the sunshine, and squinted. "I take you to freedom," he told us, knowing full well that he had sold us for warriors. The truth was that the Milesium brothers had paid him handsomely for stealing his master's slaves. His selection was those he'd observed as having health in the navel and bones. The fig man was one of those persons whose bruised body regenerates itself under torture while others fall to the wayside, so he was the first one to be chosen. To guarantee a successful deal, our black sooty rags were replaced with warm brown tunics which hid boney legs and knees and concealed neglect and starvation. Then he fastened us to a chain which he dragged over his stout shoulders all the way to the Mediterranean Sea where a fleet of sixty sail waited in the harbor. The delivery was made to Heber, one of the Milesian brothers. The owner of the fleet was Melesius of Galicia whose fame was his defeat of the enemies of the king of Scythia. But when he heard that the ungrateful king plotted to capture and exile him, he retaliated by slitting his throat. The escape was difficult, but his powerful influence and wealth enabled the purchase of the fleet. Now he waited by the sea to take his three sons, Heber, Heremon, and Amergin to Ireland. They planned to conquer and supplant their kingdom on that island and the extra slaves to be used as warriors were a necessary ingredient. As soon as Heber paid the taskmaster, he loaded his slaves and warriors onto the vessels. The tide washed out to sea and a westerly wind caught under white sails and pushed the vessels fast into the Mediterranean. The brothers were aggressive sailors and blew open the mast to press hard into the unpredictable winds of the North Sea. They held firm Warning: US and International Copyright Restrictions Apply.
their course between the isles of the British coast to Ireland where the sight of sixty sails intimidated the native welsh and Gaelic tribes. Ireland.