Pillars and Pyres

Chapter 2

"Wait!" Lajjun called out to the passing Necromonger.

"What is it Breeder?" The soldier asked, his eyes the only thing showing from behind his helmet.

"This child," Lajjun replied pushing Persephone in front of her towards the soldier "needs to be taken to Riddick."

"The Lord Marshall has no time for children."

"You don't understand," Lajjun responded desperately, pushing the child closer to the soldier, "it is imperative that Riddick see this child."

"What's going on back here?" the soldier's commander demanded, his voice slightly muffled from behind his helmet.

"Sir!" The soldier barked, straightening. "This breeder is insisting that we take the child to the Lord Marshall."

Commander Vaako turned his eyes upon the dark-skinned woman and the fairer-skinned child whose hand she was gripping.

"Please!" the woman begged. "I promise you that he will want to see this child. I swear upon my husband's grave. Show him this and he will understand." Lajjun said holding out a photo.

Taking the photo from her out stretched hand, Commander Vaako turned his gaze upon the woman in the photo, pale-skinned and heavily pregnant, she was stretched out on a chaise looking up at the night sky. Looking back towards the woman she once again held out the child's hand to be taken.

"Take her." The Commander ordered the soldier who gave a brief nod and picked up the now screaming child. He was interested to see where this would go and the child could easily be disposed of. Shoving a small bag into the soldier's hands, Lajjun ran back towards her home, towards her own daughter as Persephone's screams rang in her ears.

Entering the throne room, the now silent child was put on her feet in front of the foot soldier and beside Vaako. She and Vaako eyed each other warily as Vaako waited for his Lord Marshalls attention.

Riddick was on his feet instantly at the sight of Imams adopted daughter. "What's the meaning of this? Where are her parents?"

"From the conversation with her Mother, I assume her Father is dead."

"Conversation with her Mother? Explain." Riddick demanded crossing his arms over his chest knowing very well that Imam was dead.

"We encountered a woman, in which the child referred to as Mother. The woman demanded that the child be brought to you. She seemed to know without a doubt that you would want to see her."

"Did she say why?" Riddick asked studying the child in front of him.

Vaako shook his head. "She said only to show you this." Reaching into the bag he was holding he pulled out a photograph and held it out for the Lord Marshal to take.

Taking the photo, Riddick's eyes flickered back and forth between it, Vaako and the child.

"There's more in the bag," Vaako added, holding it out. Riddick took the bag before crouching down in front of the child.

He held up the picture for her to see. "Do you know who this is?" He asked.

The child nodded. "She's my Momma," she whispered, running her finger over the woman's body in the picture. "She loved me so much that she sent me to Mother and Father to keep the bad people from hurting me." She told Riddick solemnly.

Riddick's lips pursed as a vein popped out on his temple. "What's your name, little one?"

"Persephone."

Standing, he held out his hand. "Will you come with me?"

The little girl looked him up and down for a moment and then nodded, placing her hand in his.

Walking slowly so that she could keep up, he turned them towards the stairs heading towards his personal quarters. "Vaako with me!" he bellowed over his shoulder.

Dismissing the soldier beside him, Vaako did as he was ordered.

Opening his bedroom door, Riddick looked down at the child. "Can you stay here while I talk to Vaako?"

"I'm hungry."

"And get you some food?"

Persephone nodded, crawling up on the bed.

Leaving the door cracked, Riddick walked back out into the main room.

"The breeder is staying?"

"Yes Vaako, the child is staying. Are there any women on this ship that know anything about children?"

"We have women in the nursery."

"Nursery?"

"The children that we capture are raised on the nursery ship as our own until they are old enough to be trained in a vocation before going through the purification process."

"I need someone over here tomorrow that can take over her day to day care. I also need someplace with enough space for all of us."

"For all of you? You plan to keep the child here, in the Basilica? That's not allowed."

"It is now. Make it happen, Vaako, tomorrow. You're dismissed till then, but have someone send up some food."

"Yes, Lord Marshall." Vaako said through gritted teeth as he turned to leave.

Sitting down in a chair, he dumped the bag out that he realized was still clutched in one hand. He laid the picture in his other hand down beside him not really willing to part with it. Sorting through the clothes and trinkets he found what he was looking for. The "more" that Vaako had mentioned.

Looking inside the envelope the first thing that caught his attention was a necklace. He'd recognize that type of claw anywhere. Setting it aside with the photo, he pulled out the papers.

The paper on top was hand written and the ink had smeared in some spots from liquid that had dripped on it. Starting at the top he began to read, Imam…..

Running a finger over the letter he now assumed that the water marks were Carolyn's tears as she sat writing a letter to a man she barely knew in the hope of saving her daughter from some unknown threat. Riddick had a healthy imagination. He could envision the kind of threats made and the type of men who had made them. That Carolyn would give the child up in the hopes of saving her surprised him.

Setting that letter aside he came to the adoption papers making Abu Imam Al-Walid the official guardian of one Persephone Amelia Riddick, daughter of Carolyn Amelia Fry and Richard B. Riddick. Whereabouts of both parents, unknown. Imam had signed with a flourish, no hesitation in his stroke. A birth certificate had been included.

Next in the stack were printouts from newspapers. "The miraculous rescue of the Hunter-Gratner!" one headline proclaimed with an article describing the events in detail. "Lone Survivor recovering from attack suffered on planet!" the next read. "Rescued Pilot Pregnant! No Father In Sight! What Really Happened on that Planet?" Another declared with pictures of a pregnant Carolyn, clearly trying to get away from the hounding photographers.

The next articles were more graphic. "Rescued Pilot Carolyn Fry and Infant Daughter Burned to Death in House Explosion!" Pictures of two corpses burned past recognition immediately followed. Reading that article in its entirety Riddick realized at what lengths she had gone to, to protect their daughter. If the dates were correct on this and the handwritten letter, Carolyn had given birth and staged their deaths within less of twenty-four hours of each other. How big of a threat and how frightened must she have been to let a stranger take her newborn child?

A knock at the door took his attention away from the documents in front of him. "Enter!" He called out while putting the things back into the envelope other than the photo.

Food was being placed on the table when Persephone stuck her head out of the bedroom door. "Riddick?"

"Come eat," he told his daughter gruffly watching her as she took a plate and held it out to him.

He leaned back looking down at her.

"Would you please make my plate? I'm not allowed to do it myself."

Taking the plate he stood and began to spoon some of the different dishes on the plate before setting it down in front of her, where she had climbed up into the chair next to his.

"Do you know what your entire name is, Persephone?" Riddick asked watching her.

"Persephone Amelia Riddick Al-Walid" she replied. "I'm named Amelia after my momma" she said pointing at the picture of Carolyn, "and you."

Riddick made a surprised face. "You know who I am, little girl?"

She nodded, her copperish-brown curls dancing. "Mother Lajjun told me before she gave me to the soldier."

"Are you scared of me?"

Persephone stopped eating for a moment and looked at him. "No. Father Imam used to tell my sister and me stories about you."

Riddick watched as she continued to eat.

"We're leaving here tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

"Do you know where my Momma is?"

"No."

"Will you try to find her?"

"Yes."

With eyes that were far too old, Persephone nodded at her true father and went back to her dinner.

Ten years later

Riddick leaned against the wall, arms crossed as he watched his fifteen-year-old daughter training with her instructor in hand-to-hand combat. His chest swelled with pride when she took the man down. With a large smile on his face when she glanced in his direction he gave a slow clap.

In the ten years he had been Lord Marshall he had collected an assortment of non-purified teachers and instructor's for his daughter. She had wanted nothing to do with the Necromongers from the day she had been brought to him and he had indulged that, much to the displeasure of every Necromonger in the fleet. While it had been a pain, Vaako had made it happen turning several floors into Breeder only territory.

He had kept his promise and they had been up one side of the universe and down the other searching for Carolyn to no avail. Now they were working their way through the middle.

He had immediately put a stop to the killing of planets and now only allowed them to take enough hostages to replace their ranks instead of capturing whole societies of people. They pretty much believed anything if you threw in a vision containing Lord Marshalls of old. Sending one ship of hand-picked faithful every six months or so to journey straight to the threshold had actually proved to be a wildly popular idea as well.

But he was tired. Tired of the responsibility. He refused to stop searching for her though, to see that light go out in her daughters eyes every time they reached a new planet.

Speaking of which.

"Lord Marshall."

"Vaako."

"Kore has improved greatly in her combat training." He stated, standing at attention with his hands behind his back.

Riddick slid his eyes in the Commanders direction at his use of the name the Necromongers had bestowed on his daughter. Evidently their scholars had been well versed and knew the legend behind the name Persephone. However, Persephone was not a very "Necromonger" like name and they had decided that her other title "Kore, the maiden" was more suited. Riddick hadn't objected as they didn't realize why Carolyn had named her daughter after the Queen of Hell. That name held meaning for her parents and her parents alone, and Riddick knew that the secret to finding Carolyn was wrapped up in her cryptic letter to the holy man and had all the records pertaining to the Goddess Demeter sent to him to study.

"Yes, she has. But I'm sure you're not here to discuss that." Riddick replied turning to face the man.

"No," Vaako answered. "We are approaching Mericore IV and beginning preparations' for attack. It's a known haven for mercs and convicts."

Riddick nodded. "Business as usual and I want a look at every female. Have me a list of the prisoners names before any of them undergo purification. Understand"

"Understood."

Persephone, who had been distracted by Vaako's appearance, now lay pinned to the floor by her instructor trying to draw air into her lungs. Walking over, Riddick dismissed the instructor and stood with his arms crossed against his chest looking down at his daughter.

"What rule did you forget?"

"Don't get distracted." She answered with a cough now that her lungs were working. Holding out a hand she waited for him to take it, which he did, hauling her to her feet.

"Are we there?" she asked as they made their way back to their quarters interrupted only by Persephone greeting those she passed by name.

"Yes. Vaako is making arrangements' for the invasion now. Evidently this planet has a criminal element to it."

"I have a good feeling about this one, Daddy." She said wrapping an arm around his waist, standing on her tiptoes to peck him on the cheek.

Riddick stood in the middle of the room, the smile disappearing from his face as she shut the door to her room.

Walking to his own room he picked up the framed, dirty and tattered photograph of Carolyn that was sitting on the table next to his bed. Persephone had never argued with him keeping the photo, but about five years ago after coming back from the surface of some planet he couldn't even remember now, she had caught a glimpse of the tattered edges and demanded that he put it in a frame. It was the only thing they had left of her and he couldn't destroy it she had argued. She had nearly been in tears as she had clutched the photo of her mother to her chest. He had of course immediately agreed and let her acquire the frame that she wanted, even let her pick the spot where it would live which was here in his bedroom on the table next to where he slept. He wasn't sure if it was because she knew how much it would pain him to separate with it or so that he would have constant reminder of what was most important to her. Setting the photo back down, he left their quarters and headed to the command center.