A Place in the World

Once events on Earth had been covered in detail, Yuya first, then Grant, described to Cain everything that had happened since their respective arrivals on Nod.

The Second Man nodded as Grant concluded his tale. “So, as it stands, your goals, Grant, are no more defined than ‘fight the Bekhites’, if I understand you.”

“A tribe that preys on their fellow man for their flesh, that relishes eating them alive, is a stain on all mankind. They must be set straight, or they must die.”

“A dangerous path for you to tread, as a Penitent of Wrath, but not an unexpected one. A useful one for me, in any case, and I think even you would be hard-pressed to feel indignation at the Bekhites in excess of what their sins demand. And you, Yuya?”

“I want to learn magic. Any form would be good, but I think I would especially like to learn the ways of the Cainite shamans.”

“To what end, Penitent of Sloth? This is not an endeavor to be undertaken lightly.”

Yuya had to think about that. He had wanted to become a sorcerer since his first day on Nod, since the first hint it was even possible. He still did. But his reasons had changed in the last few weeks.

“At first, I thought it would be an easy path to power. I wasn't quick or strong, but I had a good memory and a good head for logic problems. I thought it would be sort of like reprogramming the universe itself, and I wanted that control as soon as I was faced with the unknown. I think most men who write code start down that path as boys disappointed they can't be wizards when they grow up.”

“And you no longer think it will be easy, and wish to persist regardless?”

Yuya nodded. “It's not that I don't think there's an easy path to arcane power. I think I saw the end of that path, when the Bekhites sicced a twisted demoniac on us. What I want now, as an end goal, is knowledge. Why does Nod seem loosely tied to Earth, at once full of people living through something like a dark reflection of Earth's past, and people from Earth like you and us, marked sinners caught between life and death? Can I go back, if I wish? Can I move forward to some other afterlife, and would that be an improvement, or would I just be reincarnated into some other unfamiliar world, or worse? And what's directing this flow of souls between worlds? Did a sorcerer here do this? Is it the God of the Abrahamic religions, the same one who drove you to this place? Is it this Lord of Death your servants worship? Maybe the gods the Jalabartans told me about, who live in the great temples of Nod? And why? Are we being punished? Prepared for something? Do we need Nod, or does Nod need us? I expect these are the sorts of questions delving into the Cainites’ shamanic traditions would help answer, and if I discover that some great task is expected of me by some being too powerful to turn down, a few useful spells might go a long way.”

Cain nodded approvingly. “These are not quite conventional reasons to seek initiation into the White Circle, but they are not ill reasons. I can answer many of your questions here and now, but not with certainty. I have come to suspect many of the workings of this world and Creation as a whole in my millenia on Nod, but it is guesswork, and I have forgotten many of the very observations that led me to believe what I do. Instead, I will give you some time to prepare under Sauhur’s instruction, then ask a service of you, a task that should demystify much of what you ask. Once you have guessed at the answers to your questions, see me again, and we will compare what we think we know. Then, with luck, we will each be more certain for it.”

“What sort of task do you have in mind, Khan of Khans?”

“First, Sauhur will take you on a sacred pilgrimage into the mountains of Enoch. You will remain in the wilderness for… about one Earth-month. It has been a long time since I thought of that moon. When you return, if you have passed the initiation rites, I will send you to Ak-a-Kartam, the capital of Jalabarta. There, the resident god Khur, called the Giver of Charity, will be receiving a visit from Bulan, the Giver of Humility whose residence is in Xinqian. There were many centuries when Bulan did not leave his temple at all, but within the lifetimes of men still young he has begun to visit the gods of Lugo's vassals routinely. The gods are bound to the land they occupy, and the nations that claim that land bind themselves to those gods, so this may be an extension of Lugo's suzerainty with dire consequences for the very rocks and trees, corn and cattle of Nod. You are to discover the purpose of these visits. Go openly as my envoy or quietly as my spy, whatever lets you lay their plans bare. Then, if you see an opportunity to weaken Lugo or drive Jalabarta from their allegiance to mine, you are to act as my saboteur or assassin as needs dictate.”

“Hold on now, Cain, sir.” Grant set down his cup of airag. “You don't deny that you were sent here by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? I was always told growing up that He was the one and only God. How are there other gods here? Does He only rule Earth?”

“Grant, dear son of Seth, ‘god’ is a word. A word is a flawed icon of an idea, as an idea is a flawed icon of a truth. Every time you think a word to yourself or speak it to another, a crude box is drawn around whatever truth is meant. Some other truths will lie along the edges of that box, sometimes within it, sometimes without, sometimes traced over by the lines. Your strict monotheism is not an error, Grant, but there is a certain looseness to how the word ‘god’ is used here on Nod that makes it useful to speak in more… henotheistic terms. Do not worry, you will find these gods of the land too disappointing to ever consider worshipping them. I would not have Yuya spy on a pair of them if they were truly omniscient, and I would not send you to kill one if they were truly immortal.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“The Bekhites have a goddess of their own. Yog, who before they became… as they are was called the Giver of Temperance. I meant to carry out that deicide with my own hands, but they pitched her tabernacle somewhere well away from their royal encampment. You will play a role in finding her and killing her. Perhaps a leading role, but that will be determined while Yuya undergoes his initiation. I am sending you on another hunt first, so my chief commanders and vassals can feel out your capabilities. When Sauhur comes to take Yuya on his pilgrimage, you will ride south to the desert east of Jalabarta. It will be part training, part recreation, and part diplomacy, but men will follow whoever slays the Death Worm. Go now, both of you, and get such rest as you might.”

Yuya rose to go, but Grant lingered at the small table. “Is this… deicide, idoloclasm, whatever the proper word is for striking at these objects of worship… are you undertaking it in a spirit of righteous fury, of liberating your children from false gods? Or in the same spirit that condemned you to this place, so many years ago?”

Yuya had studiously avoided this subject, and now winced, anticipating that Cain would lash out. Instead, he sighed, and his thousands of years of age finally showed in some small way. “I have forgotten more than whole civilizations ever experienced, but in the countless span of years, I have not forgotten a single hair on Abel’s head. Few, perhaps none, in all my line or Seth's have committed greater wrongs against less deserving brothers. I am trying to be a better sire to the people of Nod. Please, sons of Seth, help me protect my children.”