"Dante," the entity said flatly. "He made you, that is why you still have his fangs. He made me in the Garden with Eve, which is why I still bear the family resemblance. Is your poor battered mind satisfied?"
Carlos stood very, very still. "Dante made you?"
"Correct. The old-fashioned way. Through conception, before he was made sterile for the offense and banished to rule the dark realms on Level Six by his father. I trust you know who that is?"
Carlos didn't even blink. Hell yeah, he knew who Dante's daddy was, and he remained nameless. So, if Dante made this guy . . .
"Eve gave birth to only three sons. The first one was banished. The second one killed by the first. The third went on to prosper. I know my Bible history, so stop playing with my head!" Carlos shouted, new terror increasing the volume of his voice.
"The first son was named Cain, me," the entity said in a weary tone. "Made by the first female Neteru and Dante, otherwise known as the Chairman." He looked at Carlos and smiled.
"Little brother, you and I share much in common. My name begins with the letter C, which carries the resonance of scattered energy, but is the marrying type--numerically represents three. I slayed my younger brother, Abel, whose name begins with the letter A, which carries the numerical property of one, like Adam's. Your name begins with C, and regrettably, you, too, killed your younger brother, Alejandro, although for different reasons... but he was your father's favorite son. We both were destined to be Neterus, but we both made several grievous choices along the way. My mission is to learn selfless sacrifice, to give the world back a harvest through, of all things, Damali's music."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Carlos ran his fingers through his hair. What this entity was telling him was gonna make him scalp himself.
"It is very, simple. What lessons you do not master in one lifetime, you are destined to repeat in the next. I have had to incarnate many times to learn many lessons, and my final challenge was through the arts. I have not always been a muse, trust me."
"Then, after Adam, you were the second male Neteru ever made?" The entity nodded and began walking away.
"Yo! But that don't have jack shit to do with you trying to push up on my woman!"
The entity spun and unsheathed his blade with lightning quickness and leveled it at Carlos's chest. "With her, do not test my resolve to stay in the Light."
Carlos slapped the blade away. "Likewise."
The two remained immobile, glaring at each other.
"Ultimately, it is her choice." The entity lowered his blade.
"Yeah, it is, isn't it," Carlos sneered. "And, if you know like I know, you'll stay away from her."
"That, too, is her choice."
Deafening silence bound them. Nothing but the howling wind from the hills could be heard.
"She makes it very difficult for me not to kill you," the entity finally said, his eyes blazing. "But it is not allowed."
"If you wanna go, we can go," Carlos said in a low threat. "Any time, any day. Step back to where we can dust each other, and it's on."
"You are not allowed to kill me, either."
"Says who?" Carlos spat.
The entity smiled and pointed his blade skyward. "Presents a dilemma, yes?" He chuckled. "I have the mark, as do you. The choice is simple. Disobey the Father, and we will be sent to the one that made us. Given Dante's demise, you are aware of his next of kin on Level Seven."
Carlos didn't move, but he'd heard Cain loud and clear. That was not an option. He could only stare at the now six-foot-five being that obviously had wisdom, discipline, and shared all his best moves. A strange feeling of sadness entered him as he began to realize that perhaps he wasn't so unique, wasn't firstborn in a line of proud men like he'd always thought. His mission was unclear now. Everything he thought he'd understood was very tenuous and this older brother had blown him away with information he didn't own.
The worst of it all was he seemed a very strong contender to turn Damali's head--and shared something with her that he couldn't begin to--music. But there was no way, in any realm, that he could bring himself to ask the question that he most needed to know. Had she gotten with Cain? If so, when, how, where, what led up to it, what would have made her go there, how could she? Did the Juanita thing really make her do something like this? Or was it that this brother's game was so righteous that, the transgression with Juanita or not, Damali had been seduced, wanted him, and went for it... couldn't help herself. He wasn't sure which possibility hurt more.
"I'm going home," Carlos said. Defeat laced his tone. "Where's the door?"
Cain sighed. "I don't know."
"Stop with the games," Carlos said, now beginning to feel every blow that had landed on him. "I'm out."
"There is a rip. But none of us know where it is. Here, until I safely courier you back to the other side, you are unfortunately my charge. I am, for lack of a better term, my brother's keeper. I never wanted that, either. However, it is what it is."
"Then how did you get back and forth to talk to my woman? What was all that shit you said about her studio being your lair, hombre? You need to come with stronger game than that!" Just thinking about it was making Carlos pace.