Enoch's Ghost - By Bryan Davis
PROLOGUE
The great dragon’s eyes glowed with bloodred luminescence, and his voice rumbled like distant thunder. “Mardon, the time is short. When will the giants awaken to bring about our final victory?”
“Soon, very soon.” Standing on the edge of a precipice, Mardon held a shining rope of gold, as taut as a harp string and almost as slender. It stretched across a chasm that lay before him, the canyon path of a magma river far below. A mere stone’s throw away, a nebulous figure held to the golden line from another precipice, too far to detect any features of form or face. The barest of glows emanated from the slow-moving river, casting reddish light and illuminating the rutted walls and jagged ceiling of their underground cavern.
“Sapphira’s latest use of her power,” Mardon continued, “has allowed me to draw Earth and Hades so close, only a mere thread of dimensional space separates them. A few more pulls should bind them as one. Even then, I cannot guess how perfectly the two dimensions will combine. The dead souls should eventually become as they were when they were alive, but we might have to wait for the merged realms to reach a state of equilibrium before everything settles.” He strained against the line again, letting out an almost inaudible grunt. “That’s why the synchronization has to be precise. The realms must not touch until the timers are ready to expire and the escape route for our giants is complete.”
The dragon beat its wings and joined Mardon at the edge of the chasm. “Leave the escape route to me. The giants will need to loosen their muscles after such a lengthy nap, so I envision a staircase that will lead them to the light.”
Mardon pulled the line, drawing the other precipice a few inches closer. With every painstaking inch, the ground trembled, raising the crunching complaint of stone grinding against stone. “An excellent idea,” he said. “Many steps to strengthen their resolve … and their anger.”
“And then our next step.”
“The greatest step. When I finish creating my tower to draw Heaven down to Earth, my plan will be complete.”
“Your plan?” The dragon’s eyes blazed. “I sowed the seeds of this plan long before you were born, the seeds of Eden that I gave to Samyaza’s wench, Lilith. It was she who first cultivated the Nephilim. You merely took her place in my grand scheme.”
Mardon averted his eyes and focused on the narrowing chasm. “I see. Morgan never told me where the seedlings came from.”
“Giving credit to others was not in her nature.”
“True enough.” Mardon turned back to the dragon. “I am therefore pleased to give you credit. When Heaven meets Earth, and I am installed as the mediator of the final covenant, you will be a chief prince.”
The dragon flashed an odd smile, toothy enough to be menacing, yet it carried a hint of amusement. “Beware of overconfidence. There are forces, human forces, that can stop us.”
Mardon shook his head. “Sapphira’s power is insufficient without her sister, and no one has seen Acacia in years.”
“Do not underestimate an Oracle of Fire. You consider Sapphira a mere seedling who has outgrown her pot, but she is far more powerful. She has already meddled in too many of my affairs for my liking.”
“Trying to kill Sapphira is dangerous,” Mardon said. “It means death to any who shed her blood.”
“We need not kill her as long as she remains ignorant.” The dragon raised his head and looked into the cavern’s dim upper recesses. “Yet, there is another who could ruin our plans. She is capable of discerning the meaning of your need for building a vortex connection between Heaven and Earth.”
“Thigocia’s child?” Mardon laid a hand on his head. “I have forgotten her name.”
“Ashley Stalworth. If she alerts her mother, then all is lost.”
Mardon pulled again. The rope vibrated, shaking off golden sparks that floated into the chasm. “Do you have a remedy?”
“Divide and conquer. While you build your tower, I will deal with Thigocia.”
“And what of Ashley?”
The dragon’s eyes flashed once more, this time with a glow of triumph. “For now, she is under my control. Fear has kept her from the light, and I intend to keep it that way.”