All That Is Fallen Read online

  “Enoch’s book, as most of you know, was lost for many generations until it was found, by no coincidence, by a certain descendent of the King Robert the Bruce of Scotland and brought back to Europe for translation in the latter years of the eighteenth century. The book had apparently been hidden and suppressed… for what reasons, we do not know, but considering the content of the book and the story it told of angels, we can easily surmise our forefathers did not want the information generally known by the masses.”

  “Now, since Enoch was acting under the sway of Yaldabaoth, he naturally represented the Nephilim and those angels involved in the story of their creation as evil. And he described the Watchers as rebels against Heaven and against the Creator. This is because Yaldabaoth considered himself to be the One True God. Jehovah considered himself the Creator of the Universe and He was, indeed, the creator of many imperfect creatures including many of the so-called demonic presences now occupying the Abyss and the great Void Beyond.” Lavon paused and took a long drink of water from his mug.

  “His main concern was in keeping men in the dark concerning the mysteries and wisdom of Heaven. As we all know, the Watchers were actually sent to enlighten men, and they were sent not by Yaldabaoth, but by the One True God, Yahweh, so that men could free themselves from serving this false god in error.” Lavon paused again in order to allow his introduction to sink in on the members gathered in the Council room. Even though these truths were generally known to the Templars, they were rarely spoken of in such plain terms and had been consigned for centuries to being spoken only in whispers to the inner circle of initiates. When no one protested or made a move to comment, he continued.

  “Even though Enoch was indeed under the influence of Yaldabaoth, he put in some interesting details that would indicate Yaldabaoth did not actually proofread Enoch’s book before publication…” Lavon smiled and waited as several members of the Council laughed and others shook their heads at his irreverence. “I am sorry, Brothers,” he continued, “but sometimes it is very difficult to remain objective, since these things strike so close to home for many of us. I would ask Sir Ramsay and Master d’Brouchart’s forgiveness and the rest of you, please try to ignore what you may know about certain members of the Council in regard to their origins and histories and simply focus on the subject matter as objectively as possible. And please, again… I would not wish anyone take personal umbrage to what I am about to say. Remember, I am talking about myself, as well.”

  “As some of you know, I have voiced my concern in the past about my status as a Nephilim because I was under the mistaken notion Nephilim were not exactly part of God’s more favored creatures and this has both inspired me to excel and brought me to the brink of insanity from time to time. I considered myself to be a Nephilim because I mistakenly thought I was the son of a mortal man and a mystical creature, but I was wrong. I am not a Nephilim at all, but the son of a Watcher, and what is sometimes known as a ‘lesser god’ or ‘goddess’ as the case may be, which makes me almost equal in status, whatever I may be, to Luke Andrew Ramsay, his sister, Nicole, Alexander Corrigan, Omar Kadif and so on and so forth. On the other hand, we have Oriel Champlain who is more than three quarters mystical in nature because her father, Simon of Grenoble is himself, a Nephilim and her mother is one of the Watchers.”

  Lavon bit his bottom lip and looked at the Healer apologetically. Simon nodded slightly to him and then glanced at his father. Edgard seemed to be taking everything quite calmly, though he did not allow his eyes to wander about the room as he usually did.

  Lavon drew a deep breath and continued. “Jozsef Daniel was also of the same nature as myself because of his parentage, which makes him, like me, Luke Andrew, Omar, Dunya, Nicole, Sir Ramsay, John Paul Sinclair-Ramsay and others what is or was commonly known as Annunaki, in the tongue of the ancient races of the Middle East, i.e., Babylon and Sumeria. You may be wondering what all of this has to do with the problem at hand. It is my considered opinion,” he said slowly “the creature known as Samaoth, who has taken human form in Jozsef’s body is not the Ancient Evil, but rather one of the lesser minions.”

  “I have studied the Necronomicon and related documents closely and compared them with the myths, legends and scriptures. It would seem that Yaldabaoth, whom we know by many names, is the ultimate Ancient Evil, and his consort or feminine half is, or was, Tiamat, Queen of Chaos. Whereas Tiamat was cast into oblivion by Marduk in eons past, Yaldabaoth was not cast there, but rather chose to retire, if you will, to the Beyond, when he became bored with the human race. It would seem that in the oral traditions passed down in ages past, and possibly, in some of the lost writings, our forefathers have confused the Ages of the Earth. Some more modern writers have combined Chaos and Atlantis into one and the same so-called Golden Age, but this cannot be true because one cannot call the rule of Yaldabaoth and Tiamat a ‘golden age’! There was no place in their world for men. Man simply did not exist in that time, and our scientists would confirm most readily the dinosaurs and men could not have co-existed on this planet.”

  Lavon smiled again and looked directly at Mark Andrew. The Knight of Death sat up straighter in his chair and looked a bit chagrined and confused.

  “My beloved grandmother once told me the dinosaurs were the beasts of burden for the angels, and the angels used such beasts in their wars. She said my grandfather told her this as fact. I never got the chance to ask him if it was true or just a good tale told around the campfire.”

  Mark raised both eyebrows and then made a wry face and shrugged.

  “At any rate,” Lavon let his grandfather off the hook. “The creation of imperfect man and imperfect beasts came directly from the twisted mind of Yaldabaoth as he attempted to emulate Our Father, the Creator. He failed miserably when he created material beings, but his ultimate failure came when he tried to create a facsimile of himself as God had created the spirits of the angels. Our Creator looked down upon all of this and felt great love and compassion on these miserable creatures his ‘grandson’ had created in his ignorance. Our Father then had mercy on us and facilitated our development to the chagrin of Yaldabaoth and has since simply allowed us to grow and expand at our own pace. Now, understand here, I am referring to mankind when I say ‘us’ and ‘we’ as the majority of us are human beings or mostly so. Occasionally, teachers were sent to us to give us the opportunity to achieve our ultimate return to God in a pure form.”

  “Time means nothing to the Creator. He is the All in All and He is love and power and He would not destroy us, if for no other reason than the simple fact, we are not responsible for our own creation. A child born to woman or goddess is not responsible for its own existence. It was the jealousy and rage of Yaldabaoth that led men into subjugation and slavery to his will that has put mankind where it is today, at each other’s throats. But to us, time is a pressing matter going on and on, but we have the choice and we have the knowledge to return to the Father, but that is another topic I will not get into at this time. It was Yaldabaoth’s attempt to destroy Atlantis that brought about Noah’s flood; it was the grace and mercy of God that saved Noah, and the Atlantean once known as Thoth, and others like them to be shepherds of the remnants of mankind left after the great deluge. Persons later lending their assistance, their aid, their bodies, to the messengers of God, you have heard of them. Melchezidik, Jacob, Amunhotep, Moses, Elijah, Hermes, Buddha, Zoroaster, John the Baptist, to name a few. Yaldabaoth may be very powerful, but he cannot stand in the face of God and be victorious.”

  “Remember now, I am speaking from the viewpoint of mankind of which I am not truly a part, but because of my association with them, I feel qualified to empathize with their situation. I have stopped aspiring to be a man, but have accepted my association with them as having been the will of the Creator, so I might understand them. Just as Sir Ramsay and Sir d’Brouchart’s long sojourn with men has made them able to think, and be, and act like men in many ways, so I have learned to be a man and yet, am not a m
an. This also applies in the reverse to our friends whom we have seen so recently released from their prison, but I will get back to them directly.”

  “Meanwhile, back to the question of who is Samaoth? If he is but a minion of Yaldabaoth, he is not nearly as powerful as we may have feared. His ability to absorb Jozsef and Anna may have simply been a matter of having, in the first instance, the element of luck or fate and in the second instance, the possession of the Urim and Thummin.”

  Lavon paused again as the Council members nodded and murmured their agreement or disagreement with this statement.

  “I have also done some research into the mysterious relic that is briefly referred to in the scriptures as the Urim and Thummin, which is or was, to be worn under the breastplate of the High Priest upon entering the Holy of Holies when he was in the presence of, or working with, the Ark of the Covenant. My research revealed some interesting material, primarily, the Urim and Thummin is not simply a relic or instrument as many believe, but rather two angels, Urim… and Thummin… both encased in crystal and made into an instrument that vaguely resembles a pair of oversized reading glasses. Please note now, Samaoth was also encased in a crystal prison, i.e., the crystal object atop the golden fountain in the Abyss. Furthermore, please remember more recently, Lucifer and his warrior companions were also found encased in blocks of crystal.”

  Another round of murmurs, and headshakes, and nods circled the assembly. These concrete facts made sense and were less disturbing topics for most of them.

  “This crystal substance is most likely not natural crystal, but crystal made by magickal means. Some have said the crystal skulls are fossilized water. I believe that Miss Jasmine de Bleu brought up this possibility to Luke Andrew, and he once mentioned to me she had suggested it was nothing more than water in crystallized form that made up the mystical skulls. Not ice, but something much more… mysterious. Crystal has always played a great part in the mysteries as we all know. It is fairly common knowledge the Atlanteans used crystal power to accomplish many things that man has tried, unsuccessfully, to explain rationally for hundreds of years. It is rumored, the ancient Egyptians used crystal magick to build the pyramids. We know the Pyramids were built by the early inhabitants of the Land of Khem and would not technically be considered the forebears of the modern Egyptian.”

  Lavon looked pointedly at Mark Andrew again. “Of course, we all know Sir Ramsay knows the answer not only to the question of where Atlantis was located, but he also knows exactly how the Great Pyramid was constructed. And he knows the riddle of the Sphinx.”

  “In the Book of the Revelation of John of Patmos, John revealed…”

  Lavon frowned at his grandfather again and then glanced at his father, John Paul for the first time. John Paul kept a poker face, whereas Mark’s mouth fell open slightly.

  “So which of you ‘Johns’ really visited the exiled apostle of Christ at Patmos and revealed these things to him?” Lavon paused and Mark Andrew jerked his head around to look at John Paul. John Paul looked at his ‘father’ as if to say ‘Whaaat? Who me?’

  Lavon shook his head slightly and someone coughed loudly while several others shuffled in their seats.

  “Never mind.” The Knight of the Wisdom of Solomon continued his monologue. “The apocalyptic vision describes the heavenly throne thus, ‘And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal’. Crystal has also played a great role in the myths and visions of mankind. Perhaps this substance is not crystal in reality, but to a man’s eyes, it could only be described as such. But, again, we will not get into that.”

  “Suffice it to say, that this crystal magick is not the same thing children play with in parlor games or so-called ‘New Age’ mystics use to gain inner peace, but is something very real and very powerful, if one has the key to the mystery of proper usage of crystalline structures. Now, I would direct your attention to the fact Miss Sophia Cardinelli used crystal magick to release not one, but thirteen imprisoned angels. This was no small feat. But if Miss Sophia could release thirteen trapped entities, then surely we could use the same techniques to release two such prisoners. It is also my belief that Samaoth has imprisoned Anna, Jozsef and Omar Kadif using this same crystal magick.”

  Again, an even greater disturbance erupted in the room as a glimmer of hope began to emerge in the minds of the Council members. Lavon held up one hand to indicate that he was not finished and the room quieted down.

  “But!” He stopped and looked about at them. “Let me digress just a bit. I had to ask myself how it would be possible for a mere girl… or young woman from an ordinary family to wield such power and such knowledge as would be necessary to perform such a feat. Granted, she did use the baculus, which is a very powerful object and one she would not normally have access or permission to use, but I could not accept the idea it was simply a coincidence she could do what she did so easily. How could she break such a powerful spell after eons and eons by using a form of generic crystal magick she most likely picked up from the monks on the Isle of Ramsay, which is, by the way, where she supposedly learned the technique?”

  “I took the liberty of checking into Miss Cardinelli’s history. If you will bear with me, take a moment and reflect on Miss Sophia’s appearance. She bears very little real resemblance to her mother, her father or either of her sisters.” The Knights gathered about the table nodded their agreement. “And with good reason. Sophia Cardinelli is not related by blood to her parents or her sisters and is, in fact, a foster child taken in by the Cardinelli family. She was found wandering in the streets of Peel.”

  At first, a confused silence fell on the assembly, and then they began to make various comments on the validity of the statement.

  “That is not possible!” Simon spoke up. “She would have to belong to one of the Templars. Before they came to live on the island, only the monks lived on the island. It is hardly likely one of the monks gave birth to her. And if she belonged to one of the Templars, it should have been easy enough to determine who her parents were. Besides! Sophia is at least twenty-two or twenty-three and the Templars have not been in residence on the island that long. How old was she when she was found? Ten?”

  “No.” Lavon shook his head. “She was perhaps eighteen months at best. Barely walking. And her actual age now is no more than twelve.”

  “Why was I not informed of this?!” Edgard d’Brouchart stood up and frowned down at Peter Rushkin. “Who is she? Where did she come from?”

  “I’m sorry, Your Grace!” Peter shook his head in obvious dismay. “I had no idea.”

  “Sir, I beg your indulgence. I do not mean to cause problems for anyone. I can answer your questions, Your Grace, but it is clear Sophia is not quite what she seems to be.” Lavon held up both hands. “Sophia’s adoptive parents became quite attached her in short order as parents are wont to do, and when she began to display unusual growth patterns, they hid the fact from their neighbors as long as possible, and when it was no longer feasible to keep her in the closet, so to speak, they put in for a transfer and moved to Ramsay on the northern coast, and then, again, moved to the southern end of the island, where they handed her over to the monks at Rushen for a proper education. No one knew. Our people, or rather, your people live in primitive conditions, Your Grace. There are no tax collectors, census takers or child welfare offices on the Isle of Ramsay. When I confronted Mrs. Cardinelli about her, she confessed, and then, Mr. Cardinelli confirmed his wife’s story. They truly love her and seek only what is best for her. Perhaps they should have reported her to us, but imagine yourself in their place… a child?”

  The Council chamber was again filled with voices as everyone began to speak at once. Everyone, except, Mark Andrew. The Knight of Death sat perfectly still in his seat, smiling down at his hands and shaking his head very slowly.

  Their meeting was rudely interrupted by the arrival of Luke Andrew. He burst through the door and stumbled into the room, almost falling against the table beside his father. Hi
s face was pale as a sheet and his blue eyes wide with a mixture of fear and excitement.

  Mark Andrew leapt to his feet and caught his son in his arms.

  “Luke!” Mark took his chin in his hand and looked into his face. “Whattar ye doin’?! Wot’s wrong withee?!”

  “The King! Il Dolce… He’s here and the Queen!” Luke gasped and then shook his head. “The barn! At the barn. I was at the barn.”

  They were startled again as Lemarik swayed into the room, followed closely by the yellow Ifrit, Bombarik.

  “What is the meaning of this?!” Barry hurried around the table and barred the yellow clad Ifrit’s way. “What is he doing here?”

  “A thousand pardons, Brother of Adar!” Lemarik bowed low before the Seneschal. “He is my charge, and we have tidings from the East. I see I have been missed.” Lemarik turned away from the startled Knight of the Baldric and took his half-brother in his arms. “My Brother! Did you miss me?” Luke Andrew stared at him in surprise.

  “Adjourn the meeting!” D’Brouchart shouted above the melee. “We will go down to the barn!”

  The meeting broke up into a chaotic mass exodus.

  Chapter Seven of Twenty-Two

  Our days may come to seventy years,

  or eighty, if our strength endures

  The first wave of nuclear missiles launched from China took out the greater portion of the Indian sub-continent and parts of Indonesia, leaving entire islands completely devoid of any living thing, right down to the grass. The second wave, a retaliatory measure launched from Japan, leveled Peking and Beijing. A third attack from the steppes of Mongolia devastated the Japanese islands and parts of the West Coast of America. The second retaliatory strike shutdown operations in Mongolia and destroyed Moscow, St. Petersburg and Istanbul. Some of the pre-programmed target coordinates for the strikes had nothing to do with the perpetrators of the original strikes, but were not modified due to lack of information and time. The ensuing ‘war’ lasted only two days and the world was brought to a complete standstill. The ultimate horror had happened. The world had finally pulled the trigger and the resultant disaster was catastrophic, making all the films, documentaries and movies made earlier in the century look like imaginative fairy tales in contrast to the actual results. As the prevailing winds and tidal currents distributed the clouds of nuclear fallout and debris clouds about the planet, the world was plunged into the predicted nuclear winter with a speed exceeding even the worst case scenarios and predictions of the most morbid prophecies and conspiracy theorists.