Under A Velvet Cloak (18 page)

Kerena decided. “Go back only the minimum required.” She loosed her grip on her timeline.

Jolie moved back to the key question.

“In a
manner?”
Kerena demanded. “What manner?”

/
must not tell you, lest the rescue be compromised I ask you to trust me.

Kerena considered, in this alternate dialogue. “I do trust you, because of my Seeing. But I
do
not like not knowing.”

/
understand. It seems your knowing would cause you to change course, and the timelines would no longer align. It is possible that the alternate one would enable you to accomplish your purpose also, but I would not be able to help. I can guide you only toward conformity with my own reality.

Kerena sighed. “So it must be.” Then she thought of something else. “Won’t Chronos mess with my timeline anyway, now that I have broached him?”

/
doubt it, because he said the flow is smooth, and he doesn’t want it changed. Also, our contact with him is in his future, as he lives backward. He won’t remember it because he hasn’t experienced it yet.

“I find that utterly confusing!”

So did Jolie.
Maybe that is imprecise. We are going one direction, he the opposite direction. If we were to meet him again tomorrow, our first meeting would be in his future. He is now going toward our past, and must remember our first meeting as in
his
past. But surely he will not interfere with your past, because that would stop you from having that encounter with him, denying him what was surely his best amorous outing in centuries. Men are funny about sex.

Kerena laughed. “Well, I hope it was his best, as a matter of professional pride. But I won’t seek him again.”

That is safer,
Jolie agreed.

Then Kerena thought of something else. “If Chronos lives backward in time, does he exist before his mortal self was born?”

Sharp question!
No, unlike the other Incarnations, his term is limited to his natural lifespan. He must pass the Hourglass on to another before he reaches the date of his birth.

“Then how could I have given him his best outing in centuries? He would not live that long.”

Because he is a vampire, like you. You didn’t notice?

“I didn’t!” Kerena said, surprised, realizing it was true. No wonder Chronos had recognized her nature.

You were distracted. He’s an excellent lover, of course.

They were coming to another shore. “You know geography?” Kerena asked. “Where is this?”

I am not sure I should give you information unknown to your generation.

“Try it. If it fuzzes the lines, untry it.”

That made sense.
This is the continent of America, which has had no known contact with Europe in twelve thousand years.

“No wonder I never heard of it.”

Now that Jolie was known to Kerena, and the timelines remained aligned, it was less lonely for each of them. They had much to talk about. Kerena was interested in just about everything, especially secrets of any nature. Jolie told her about America, including the way it had been settled by several waves of colonization from northeast Asia, with the later waves finally obliterating the earlier ones.
The first were sea folk, using their boats as homes, never penetrating far inland. Most of their artifacts were covered by the rising sea. Their boats limited their n umbers. The later ones were land dwellers, unlimited, so they prevailed.

“It would have been better had they just shared the land.”

Humans were never much for sharing with other cultures.

They came to the next energy vortex. A mature woman was sitting on a high rocky slope, gazing down at a small village. Kerena came to a stop beside her. “Are you Nature or Fate?”

The woman glanced at her, shifting to old, then young. “Who are you, nymph?”

That’s Fate, with three aspects: Clotho, who spins the Threads of Life, Lachesis, who measures them, andAtropos, who cuts them.

“Kerena of England. I have come to beg a favor.”

The woman shifted to her middle-aged version, Lachesis. A large colorful tapestry
appeared
before her. “Kerena,” she murmured, her finger hovering over a single thread, which brightened. “My, my: a pretty vampire. But this thread is not due for cutting at this time.”

“My son, Gawain, is tainted. Please change my thread so that I
do
not taint him. That is all I ask.”

“You seek to change your fate, you foolish freak?” Lachesis demanded irritably. “Begone!”

“But you see-”

But the woman had changed into a large spider. The spider climbed an invisible line and vanished. Fate was gone.

“Damn it!” Kerena swore. “Why won’t they listen?”

It’s the arrogance of power. They don’t like being pestered by folk of the mortal realm.

“I will not give up,” Kerena said with tearful determination. She oriented the cloak on the next vortex.

This took them, in due course, to a battlefield in east Asia. An armored man with a giant red sword stood contemplating the action. This of course was the Incarnation of War, known by many names.

“I don’t think this one can help me,” Kerena said, disappointed.

I’m not sure. The relations between vampires and mortals could be considered a war between types. If so, Mars might affect it.

“Maybe so,” Kerena agreed, recovering hope.

She approached the warrior. “Excuse me, War. I have a favor to-”

“Begone, rabble!” the Incarnation snapped without looking at her. “I am busy.”

“But if you could just-”

The Incarnation drew the red sword, turning toward her.

Kerena made herself begone.

“This isn’t going well,” she said as she oriented on the next vortex.

These are not the Incarnations I know. They seem to have no sense of responsibility to others.

Kerena was grim. “I noticed.”

The next vortex was in what Jolie recognized as Africa. It was a huge thick-trunked tree with such thick foliage it seemed like a forest in itself. Within that foliage was a surprisingly capacious residence. A solid woman was there, watching a collection of termites building a small mound.

Nature,
Jolie said.
She could surely fix the taint.

“Madam Nature,” Kerena said. “I need a favor
¹
-”

“And I need food for my flesh-eating termites,” the woman said. “How nice of you to volunteer.”

Get out of here!

Kerena was already on her way.

“I didn’t think they would
do
it for nothing,” Kerena said. “I’m ready to serve some onerous duty. But they have no interest at all.”

Two remain,
Jolie reminded her. But whatever faith the might have had in the Incarnations of this time was fading.

“I will query them.”

The cloak went south. Jolie was amazed when it left Africa and went out across the cold southern ocean. There was nothing down there but frozen Antarctica.

But it turned out that under the mountain of ice was a hot subterranean realm: Hell. As with Purgatory, this was at this time a physical location, not yet refined into an alternate realm. That meant that they should be able to leave it as readily as they entered it.

Kerena came to Satan’s office. This was a crude chamber somewhat isolated from the flames of the main portion. Satan was relaxing in an easy chair, watching the activity through a window.

“Satan,” Kerena said. “I-”

He faced her, smiling. “Of course, you lovely creature. What can I do for you?”

For a moment she was silent, caught off-guard by this response. He was ready to help?

Ask him to erase the evil of the taint,
Jolie prompted.

“Please erase the evil of the taint,” Kerena said. “My son Gawain-”

“Certainly,” Satan said. “Come sit on my lap, beautiful vampire.” His clothing disappeared.

I distrust this. He may seek to use you, then renege. Remember, he is the Incarnation of Evil. Deception and cheating are natural to him.

“Naturally, ghost,” Satan said. “But it seems you will just have to gamble on my fidelity, since the other Incarnations won’t help you.”

Kerena made a quick compromise. “You can have me once now, and again after you eliminate the evil from my son.”

“So you really are a whore.”

Kerena refused to be shamed. “Whatever it takes.”

“Very well. Step into my bedroom.” He indicated a doorway to an adjacent chamber that was filled by a huge bed.

Kerena took a step toward it.

Don’t go there! That’s a trap. You’ll never get free.

“But I can phase through solid rock,” Kerena said.

That’s not rock. It’s the boundary of Hell proper, constructed to prevent tortured souls from escaping. I recognize it.

“Ghost, you are becoming obnoxious,” Satan said.

The warning was sufficient. “Here, in this office,” Kerena said.

“As you wish.” Satan approached her. His masculine member swelled hugely, becoming a thick knobby club.

That’s illusion. He’s trying to freak you out, so you’ll renege. Then he’ll have pretext to incarcerate you in Hell.

Satan sent a ball of fire at Jolie. But she was familiar with this trick too, and didn’t budge. She had, after all, associated with a later Incarnation of Evil, and learned as he learned.
Why don’t you just oblige her request, and trust to her gratitude to oblige you in turn?
she asked him.

“That would be no fun. I want her unwilling.”

“She’s right,” Kerena said. “Give me what I want, and I will give you what you want, within reason.”

“Within reason. There’s the rub. I am not reasonable. I want to rape you, and have my top demons rape you, until you scream for release.”

“Abolish the taint from my son, and I will enter that room,” Kerena said evenly. “Then you can torture me all you want.”

“But that makes it voluntary, ruining it. No deal.”

“Then I will gamble by trusting you,” Kerena said. Before Jolie could stop her, she marched into the bedroom and threw herself down on the bed.

On, no! You fool!

Satan shook his head. “It is the foolishness of nobility. I can’t touch her.”

“Touch me!” Kerena cried. “I am in your power.”

He can’t,
Jolie thought.
Your motive is pure, unselfish, without deceptive intent. There is no evil for him to exploit.

“Therefore no deal we can make,” Satan agreed. “Begone, vampire. Return when you have some evil for me to indulge.”

Kerena got up. “Then will you cure my son?”

“Of course not. I’ll merely use you mercilessly. You can never glean good from evil.”

“Damn!”

Satan laughed. “Even your swearing doesn’t taint you, luscious creature. Your frustration is justified.”

Kerena walked out of the chamber, and out of Hell, disappointed. “I would have done it, for Gaw,” she said tearfully.

Exactly.

One swirl remained. “Surely the Incarnation of Good will heed my plea.”

Jolie was deeply uncertain of that. In her time, God had tuned out, paying no attention to the affairs of the world. That was why he had been removed. This was fifteen hundred years before then. Was
God
more responsive now?

They slid north. Of course any direction was north from the south pole, but they were roughly retracing their course to Africa, then on to Asia Minor. Jolie was curious to know where the Incarnation of
Good
might be at this time, since the other Incarnations were not where she had known them. Was there a true Heaven?

They stopped at eastern Turkey, as Jolie remembered it from the time she had left. Now it was-she concentrated, remembering history-part of the Eastern Roman Empire, or the western edge of the Persian Empire. And this was-Mount Ararat, where Noah’s Ark landed after the Flood.

“Where is this?” Kerena asked, confused.

Jolie explained.
It seems that this early in Christianity, the several locations are not as far removed from the Earthly sphere as they are in my time. The Incarnation of Good is still in this vicinity, liking mountain tops.

Kerena stood atop the mountain. “Incarnation of Good,” she called. “Where are you?”

There was no answer.

She extended her Seeing, searching for the swirl. It was there, in space; this was merely a local connection, as it were. But it seemed to be a vacant number.

God has tuned out,
Jolie explained.
That was true in my time too. It seems He hasn’t been paying attention for a long while. We finally replaced Him.

The lines wavered. It seemed she was telling too much about the future, and that would influence Kerena wrongly.

Jolie hastily backtracked.
It seems he’s not interested,
she thought instead, and the lines firmed.

Kerena was disappointed and disgusted. “None of the Incarnations of Immortality will help me. I’m going home.”

Maybe there is some other way to remove the taint.
But Jolie was almost certain there wasn’t. This was pain this woman was destined to suffer.

“Whatever it is, I’ll find it.” They were on their way back to Scotland, moving rapidly. Kerena had gained skill with practice.

Soon they were there. Kerena phased back in beside the outcropping at the entrance to the vampire warren. And paused. “There’s something odd.”

The trees are larger.

“That’s it. How can that be?”

Jolie suddenly remembered something.
Purgatory
the Incarnations
the passage of time can become different. We may have been absent longer than we thought.

Kerena entered the warren. “Vorely! Vanja!” she called. “It is Verena, returned.”

Almost immediately both appeared, looking the same. “We feared you dead,” Vorely said, embracing her.

“How long has it been?”

“Thirty years.”

“Thirty years! I thought it was a day or two.”

“Where were you?” Vanja asked.

“I visited the Incarnations of Immortality, seeking help for my loss, as I planned.”