"Lilith," Eve whispered through her teeth. "Before the end of days, I will slay that bitch for this."
Gaining confidence, Damali pressed on. "It could be that Cain was released by the Hand of God or it could have been a Level- Seven diversion, if they intercepted my argument. I don't know. That's the problem. I was angry at Carlos when I lobbed the prayer... more like a complaint, as the case maybe. But I wasn't all the way ready to throw in the towel on our relationship. I. Am. Human," Damali said with emphasis.
"Eve, please hear me. I'm human. Prone to error, prone to all sorts of things, huge mistakes being one of them. But, Eve, you know me. I also have a heart, and wouldn't just jack with a brother in jail or play with his mind." Damali walked back to the rock to lean on it and stare at Eve's spine, putting a little distance between herself and the clearly devastated Neteru queen. "I'm many things, but not cruel."
Eve nodded and her breathing shuddered as though a sob so deep and profound was battling to come out. Damali almost cried for her.
"I knew it was too good" to be true," Eve said quietly and swallowed hard. "But a mother can always cling to hope. I also have love for my son... and faith. A mother always carries this divine trinity for her child."
Damali watched Eve wipe her face with her back still turned to her and put the straightness in her spine as a queen's carriage dictated. "You are right. I cannot blame the woman without thorough inquiry ever." Eve took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I have experienced that."
"I know. That's why I brought this to you in trust, and out of respect," Damali said. "As a matter of honor, I did not go to Nefertiti, or the others, as I felt you had the right to know above all others, first."
Eve nodded, but still didn't turn. "I deeply appreciate that," she said in a quiet tone. "Your honor and discretion will never be forgotten. Forgive me for almost beheading you, but we were talking about my son."
Damali rubbed her throat again, truly aware of just how close she had come to biting the dust. Whew... no wonder Mar was having a cow.
"Here's the thing," Damali finally said, pushing away from the rock. She needed motion to calm her nerves. "Before I can just go off with Cain, I have to legitimately resolve this thing with me and Carlos, one way or another. Then, however it goes, whomever I decide to hook up with has to also pass the Light test, because Eve, I can't even think about siring--"
"That you do not have to explain," Eve said calmly, raising one hand to stop Damali's words.
For a moment, both women fell silent.
"Eve, I didn't sleep with him, because I wasn't sure... and at the same time, I wasn't trying to play with him. Does that make sense? I mean, how would that be... I'm mad at Carlos for something foul he did, and in a fit of fury after an argument, I go hook up with some brother who ain't got nothing to do with the drama, then after me and Carlos come to terms, I dump him and go back home--or, worse, have both of 'em out in the street battling until one or both of them dies. Where's the maturity and honor in that? They deserve better; I deserve better. No Neteru or female with dignity needs to go there. Plus, it's not about all that--it's about the rip and making sure nothing untoward comes across that line. You know that. As this era's Neteru, all personal crises aside, I cannot let anything half-demon slip out of Nod to join with the currently weakened forces of Hell to strengthen them."
Conviction entered Damali's tone as she spoke to Eve's back and her voice trembled with emotion. "Your son is awesome, Eve. Almost made me forget any honorable intent or mission. But he also seemed like a nice guy, someone who deserved respect, someone who could be permanent, if that's where it was headed. So, I wasn't about to put him in a position like that. And, for all of Carlos's mess, he's still a good man, too, and a Neteru, so I was trying to sort it all out when they rolled up on each other. That's what happened, for real."
Damali was breathing hard as Eve turned slowly to face her. The elder queen nodded sadly and forced a serene smile.
"You did the right thing, daughter... he's just my firstborn boy." Eve sighed and folded her arms over her chest and shook her head. "But that you've thought all this out so clearly, I wish I had your wisdom at your age... and even in this disaster, that you have spoken so highly of him makes me proud. I hope he's made the right decision. Time will tell. Yet I cannot vouch for him. He's all grown up," she added, her voice so melancholy that the birds went still. "He's a man, and has been away from me so long I confess that I don't really know him anymore."
Eve paced away from the water's edge and leaned against the rock with her eyes closed, seeming lost, if not drowning, in very old thoughts. "His father never saw him after the banishment... that is why light perpetual shines in Nod. He could never glean information about that place, how it worked, what entities were there, or attach any relevant knowledge of it to his throne--the light blinded him, as they knew, inherently, that he would go after his son to save him from a sensory-less fate. It practically drove Dante mad to think of Cain there, but try as he might, he couldn't get to him, so he could never tell me how he was... and after Eden, I dared not transgress again to peek into that world."
She chuckled sadly when Damali's eyes widened with shock. "Dante never got to see our boy really grow up. I wonder if he would have admired him, and been proud, even if he went to my side?" Eve's gaze captured Damali. "When you have children of your own, you will understand. It sounds mad, but that's the thing... even a father who disagrees with his son's profession still holds some measure of pride if that son is the very best at what he sets out to accomplish. Tragic, all of it, the whole of it cannot be sorted out or easily explained in one sitting."
"I hope he's one of the good ones, for you, dear Queen," Damali murmured. "I'd hate to have to be the one to take your lover and your son's head... but if he goes dark on my watch, that's my job. I'd do him no less than I'd do Carlos, if either one of them take after Dante full-blown. You must understand that before I leave this glen, Eve. I need to get into Nod and I need your help. You were there when that realm was created."
Crystal-blue tears filled Eve's brown eyes and fell without shame. "You see, all I remember is that head of tight curls and ringlets against my br**sts. That child who stayed awake all night with a bright, inquisitive smile, and who would occasionally nick me with a hint of fang when he suckled or laughed hard. Those warm, brown, hungry, intelligent eyes that absorbed every shred of knowledge ever put before him, those same eyes that painfully looked to me to solve the problems of the newborn world... and that wonderful, angelic voice that would join me in a lullaby when I sang him to sleep every dawn."
Eve drew in a shaky breath and closed her eyes. "That is what a mother sees. Not the monster. Not the seductive lover. Not the man who has grievously erred and must be punished, or possibly beheaded."
"I know, Eve," Damali said, removing the formality of title between them as she walked to her queen and gave her a much-needed hug. "But you are also fair and wise and just... and I came to you because of all those things."
Eve hugged Damali tightly as she stroked her hair. "What I ask of you isn't fair. It is pure emotion." "I can't commit."
"I know," Eve whispered. "Just be gentle with my boy, whatever you decide. Tell him, if you see him again, that his mother loves him, no matter what, and always will. Tell him that, even if you must behead him."
Damali swallowed hard and nodded. "That I can do."
"Freeze!"
Multiple gun hammers clicked back. Semiautomatics leveled. Men in black S.WA.T. gear had come through the door in a Bradley, and swarmed out of it before any Guardian could take cover. Windows smashed in. A black-hawk chopper was landing on the roof, then footfalls pummeled the upper floors and stairs.
The Guardian team stood very, very still, not even glancing at each other as they kept their hands on their heads. They kept their mouths shut as nervous palms patted them down, spun their bodies around, and affixed nylon ties to their wrists.
"Problem, officer?" Rider finally said, as he was forced to kneel.
"Where's the one you call the Neteru in this cult?" a burly figure shouted, his eyes darting around the team and then toward his men. "Be careful, gentlemen. She's packing a long blade, samurai shit, and knows how to use it."