XIX. European Policies (2)
Jelila Kane
Arthur Chase's library was dimly lit, our shadows on the wall were long and dark. I made my way toward the center of the room, stepping on oriental rugs. Chase was sitting in a high back armchair. He smiled when he saw me and pointed out another chair for me to sit on.
"So you came, finally. I thought you never would.
– I came to listen to what you have to say."
I had met Arthur Chase in Jerusalem. At first, I thought he was just an eccentric American scholar traveling around the world for research. Then he confessed to me a few months ago that he was the son of some Slavic goddess. The very idea of it scared me. Pantheons shouldn't mingle, it was a well-known rule among the Per Ankh. My family ruled over the New York Nome, so they understood this as a necessity. Things were already complicated enough between ourselves, we couldn't afford the risk of having other beings interfering in our business, especially other gods.
He was quite a handsome man, I must say. He was in his forties, his hair so pale you couldn't exactly tell if it was blond or white. He had grey eyes, like most of the Bellini. But unlike them, instead of stormy clouds shrouded in madness, those were like two blades of steel, piercing, sharp, unforgiving, and cold.
Two other people were sitting in the shadows. I recognized Hannibal Friedwald, tall, solemn, a tired look on his face, dark blond hair, dark blue eyes, and a face that could have been carved in marble. Then, next to them, sprawled on a sofa, was a young fair woman, in a green gown, her lips like a bleeding fruit. Sitting there in the gothic library, handsome, with this kind of aura radiating from them, they looked like a bunch of Norse gods exiled from Asgard. Power meant trouble. This can't possibly be good.
Hannibal and I used to study together. I was just three years older than him. War had changed him a lot. I remembered him as a merry fellow, joking and laughing, always kind to everyone. Unlike a lot of high born, who would only use Alexandrian Greek, he spoke prefect Arabic, used to sneak around in modern Cairo and mingle with the locals. I would usually go around with him, as another descendent of Narmer, and we would always end up in some strange dirty place somewhere in the city. But this was a long time ago, and that boy had died on the front line.
"Who are you? I asked the woman.
– Desdemona Sforza, she just said.
– A Sforza and a Kane? I quipped. What a strange sight it must be.
– Strange times, indeed, answered Desdemona. How is your mother, Jelila?" My cheeks burned.
"Fine, how is yours?
– Never knew her", she shrugged.
Chase chuckled softly, Hannibal was not amused.
"Are we quite finished? He asked.
– Patience my friend, said Chase. Let the surprise wear off."
Arthur Chase was actually one of my distant relatives: his cousin Harmony Chase had married my own distant cousin, Faustus Keane. This marriage was considered a bit eccentric, as Harmony, though she had Egyptian blood by her mother, wasn't from an ancient kemetic family. Actually, all of the Keane brothers ended up being disappointments: Honorius had married a lowborn, and Sammy never took wife. There were ugly talks of him not being actually interested in women in any way. Melody Powers was the only one saving the honor of this family.
He'd lived a strange life this Chase man. He was a wanderer, had seen Russia, all of Europe, most of the Middle East, and roamed America. He knew much, far too much in fact. He knew for instance the exact location of most of the American Nomes. He understood the basics of Norse magic. He knew were stood Mount Olympus, and who exactly was hiding in Memphis Tennessee. Sure, I'd heard the rumors that said the god of knowledge favored him, but then, he'd also favored Daedalus, Nicolas Flamel, Copernic, Champollion, and all kind of madmen, who usually ended up being more trouble than anything. I'd met Thoth myself, and he wasn't exactly the epitome of sanity. He was a moon god, unsteady as its phases.
And there I was, in this madman's house, with a family foe and my aunt's ex-lover, listening to some gibberish about gods, Duat and secret plots.
"You've heard the rumors I hope, began Friedwald. The Red Lord has breached the Duat."
This seemed quite unbelievable.
"No, I haven't, and we are usually well-informed.
– You are nothing, just a delusional bunch still believing in their magical supremacy, sneered Desdemona. The glorious times of the mighty family Kane are gone.
– What of house Sforza then? I snapped.
– Dishonor and shame, I know. We are not so different you and me, dear. One difference though: I, for my part, shall never let myself be robbed from my position as my father's heir.
– A Nome is not a hereditary heirloom, nor should it be!" objected Friedwald.
Desdemona rolled her eyes.
"Please, Hannibal, be kind to us, and let your ideals at the door. I am not speaking about the Nome, dear gods, I am talking about money. About being head of the family. De facto and de jure."
The last bit was important. Our lives were long, and our families tended to be messy. By law, fathers and heads of families had special rights and prerogatives over the other family members. This disposition helped the House keeping everyone in line. Of course, you could still quit, but that would mean giving up your inheritance and lack of support. And facing possible murder of course. Honor was a thing here.
I was sitting very straight on my chair. Desdemona was slouching on the couch. Narmer's blood and decadent Italian families. So cliché. Somehow though, she managed to appear neglected yet graceful at the same time. No more staring I scolded myself.
"This is not all. Venice is unquiet. The Bellini are up to something. They aren't really fond of Romans; and they are craving for blood.
– It's very possible that they will do something stupid, added Friedwald. With Set on the loose, and in the same time the Romans back in the Italian territory… Also this bloody French rogue Half-god has moved his forces closer to the Italian territory. He's controlling Austria and Mitteleuropa. All of this can't be just a coincidence. He could try to ally himself with the Bellini, all they need is someone to introduce them to him. And the missing link, Johann Orsini, the son of Poseidon is back in Europe. Maybe with orders form the Olympus, maybe not… How do I know it's the missing link?" he answered to my silent question. "I don't. I feel it.
– Why would a regular demigod ally himself with a rebel?
– The Greeks are a very messy bunch. No leadership, no central power, they do whatever they want. This kind of alliance is common to them. Fortunately they have usually very short lives.
– Jean d'Aubigné is friend with the Celts, smirked Desdemona. Everybody wants to have the Celts on their side. They are the craziest of us all. Of course, it means more mess in my home territory, more dishonor on my Nome. All of Europe is fighting, deciding its fate, and we are standing on the sideline of History. Again.
– If what you say is true, and there was really a host, which I doubt, we should start looking among them, the Bellini, I suggested. They are Setians after all.
– Still aching for revenge, I see?" Sforza had a wicked smile on her red lips. "Good. But as I've just said, you are very ignorant. Bellini can't host, they gave up that right centuries ago.
– In exchange for what?" I asked in disbelief.
Sforza shrugged.
"Power I suppose. See, hosting benefits an individual. It doesn't guarantee you final victory on the battlefield. This part is up to the collective, and the lord of chaos isn't exactly a pros in this kind of business. Anyway, it wasn't a great loss for them. Set can't be hosted, they always end up burning up.
– Shouldn't we tell Iskandar?"
Or my uncle. As much as I hated to admit it, he was quite an expert in this matter.
"Bah, what will they do? Iskandar probably knows anyway, he knows everything. The Bellini have an agreement with him. Why do you think he lets them thrive, while breaking every single room in this bloody house?
– I'm not sure Set has found a host yet. His incarnation doesn't seem strong, he must burn them up and switch them, said Hannibal. It also means that he's difficult to track. But he will try to get close to one, to possess a good magician.
– Probably a Setian one. This is where the Bellini have a part to play: they know and protect every single setian family among the Per Ankh, smirked Sforza.
– Why are you trying to double-cross the First Nome? I asked Hannibal. Security breaches are their responsibility.
– Because, I am not sure they understand the extent of our situation. Because they are weaker than we imagine, and they are ready to sacrifice Nomes whenever it's convenient. Because they let the Eighteenth Nome bleed during the Russian civil war, instead of taking the risk of a global conflict.
– Set is on the loose, anything's possible now, summarized Sforza, rolling her eyes. We have to be prepared for what is to come.
– And what exactly is that?
– What's already going on in my home country, explained Desdemona. Nationalism, military dreams, random invasions, decadence, and mortal forces taking over."
Yes but this had already been going on for quite a long time. I couldn't see why we should be especially weary now. I mean, there was a lot of shit going on in the world, but no more than usual. Maybe Set had breached the Duat. And so? It happened sometimes. The House of Life would hunt him down and send him back to where he belonged. Everything was still fine. Why should a single European government concern us, the heirs of a thousand year civilization and wisdom?
"In Berlin we have the same kind of trouble, with our own autochthone gods. The Germanic Pantheon.
– Are they like the Norse gods?
– Almost, but not quite. They differ, just as Greek gods differ from their Roman counterparts.
– Same gods, split personalities." I understood. He nodded.
"They are at home in my Nome territory, I have to compose with them. In Northern Europe, we are the foreigners. So very far from the Mediterranean... Around the Baltic Sea are the territories of Norse and German gods, as well as Slavic gods.
– And so what? Do they want to take back control over their ancestral territories?
– They are mingling with political forces from the far right, who oppose Communism. And their rivals and foes, the Slavs are helping the USSR in its secret policy.
– The Slavic pantheon is communist?"
This was perhaps the most absurd statement I'd ever heard in my life.
"You are right Jelila, smiled Chase. Not exactly with light heart."
I was startled by the bitterness of his tone. He explained:
"Slavic gods had sided with the green armies of the peasants and kulaks, during the war. They were on Makno's side in Ukraine. They weren't left with much choice at the end of the civil war. It is a bit the same with the Russian magicians. The Egyptian Nome has a very ambivalent position toward the government as well.
– They are allies.
– Not exactly, corrected Chase. Menshikov is afraid of them.
– A Menshikov? Afraid?"
This seemed quite laughable. But then, everything in this conversation was.
"He'd rather give the rest of the house the illusion that he's sided with them rather than to show any sign of weakness. But his family… They were men of the Czar since… well always."
I was beginning to feel quite lost I should say.
"Didn't you follow the mortal's politics Jelila?
– A bit… Not really.
– Things are moving in the USSR. Trotsky is gone, and this man, Jughashvili, Stalin as he likes to call himself, has taken over. Now, Stalin means "of steel".
– Why do you even care about Russia, Chase? What part do you play in all of this?"
He had a rather sorry look.
"This is my mother's country, as well as that of my ancestors."
Oh, Slavic gods, again.
"You don't understand Jelila, countries are different, explained Hannibal. Russia is no Europe, no more than it is Asia or America. The Russians are superstitious people, they can see. You have no idea what they are capable of… There is no such thing in that country as the mortal politics and the Nome politics, everything is linked.
– As for the USSR, it is not a country, added Chase. It's an idea, born from the streets, from poverty and misery, drenched in blood since its very birth. People who truly believe in it, will do anything, anything really. It's a religious country, only God has been replaced by the Marxist Gospel, but they believe in it, just as they used to wait for the Kingdom of Heaven. Now, all of us here, we all understand how religion works.
– We don't want to end up like Russia did, explained Hannibal. Slaves to our own government. Hunted down by civilian forces.
– Those are rumors. Weren't you a communist Hannibal?
– I was, he said with some kind of sadness. Hope is a dangerous thing. Now, in all Europe, people fear it, communism. Fear pushes people to make terrible choices. Dreams don't lie, he said, thin and wary. There is only one way out of it. I tried to talk to your uncle but he won't even listen." Of course he won't listen to you, silly boy.
"Sometimes I feel like I'm screaming in the void, but no one's ever listening. If we are slipping into the dark of night, then I shall not go there gently.
– What exactly are you talking about?"
The word stayed suspended on his lips. He didn't say it, but I was beginning to guess it.
"Ancient magic, he said."
Of course, I was now well-versed in it.
"You are smart Jelila, you can help us. This concerns you, as a Kane, as the blood of Narmer"
Hannibal looked at me with his great hollow eyes.
"The Germans are coming after us. The Slavs, well, all the united pagans of the USSR, including the 18th, are coming after us. The bloody Greeks are coming after us. D'Aubigné has all the cards in his hands. If he takes the lead, Celts, half gods and rogues… add some chaos magicians, maybe a god or two… Who's next? The Slavs or the Germans? And when will his army be big enough? And what will he do with it? March against Olympus? Rule over Europe?
– Orsini won't let him, he's very loyal to the Olympians. And he is also a son of one of the great gods." And my uncle's acquaintance.
"There will be a fight for leadership between d'Aubigné and Orsini. The winner will have it all. Or they will kill each other, and then the Celts will be left in charge, free to get their revenge against Rome and well, everyone basically. Or the Bellini will declare a civil war. Worse scenario: Set takes control of everything and gets himself an army.
– He still needs a host.
– A detail. He gets himself an army, just like Setne did, and we're screwed."
Hannibal let the threat linger in the air.
"You want the cherry on the cake? There's another hero roaming Germany, a son of Hades they say.
– This is so typical of the Greeks, snorted Desdemona. They can never keep it to themselves. They always have to wash their dirty laundry in the public space. How long before we get a massive fight between the three sons of the three great gods?"
We all silently agreed. Greeks were always the one starting the trouble.
"I just don't get it. Why didn't the Fourteenth stop D'Aubigné, as soon as they found out what he was doing? What were they thinking? Raged Chase. Why did they let things escalate?
– Stupid French people, I grunted. They love their troublemakers. They probably thought it would be better to watch over things, see how the situation will evolve." My family had to clean up Champollion's mess because of this state of mind.
"Also they are convinced that every single of their move can bring a civil war, so they do nothing, added Hannibal. Very akin to Iskandar actually. And their Nome seems to have fallen into some kind of massive depression since the war.
– Well, it's not that wrong, they just can't stop killing each other, smiled Sforza. And their autochthone gods are the Celtic ones, a joy I wouldn't wish to anyone.
– How did they discover him anyway? I asked.
– Crocodile traffic, answered Hannibal.
– What a joke, sighed Desdemona. It all looks like a bloody comedy play.
– See? Greeks are messy, joked Chase. They hide their super illegal activities and get discovered because of some bullshit."
But I wasn't really in the mood to laugh. Hannibal was stuck in the middle of a fight between Slavic and Germanic Pantheons using Weimar's Republic as a battle ground in a ruined and defeated Germany. Whoever would win would bring tears and blood to them. Especially if they decided something like oh, let's just get all of the Egyptians out of our historic territory. The fact that half his Nome was of Arabic and African descent wasn't really helping. I mean, maybe Communists would be more accommodating, but as for the far right, I'd read their books. I was familiar with their Master race concept and their social Darwinism.
At last, some Greek jerks were having a theological debate about their gods' benevolence and goodness, or just another case of unresolved sibling rivalry, and thought our Nomes were a convenient place to quarrel. This was precisely why Pantheon shouldn't mingle. And what were we doing? Bloody more mingling. The contradiction was revolting.
"What about you, Desdemona? I asked suddenly. What's your interest? Bellini blood? You think they support Set? Why do you care about him, or Germany, or anything else?
– I do care about the downfall of our Noble House of Life, she protested. My interests are simple: I want to restore my Nome to its former glory. I also want to support your claim to your house and defend mine. You saw what kind of achievements the strikes brought to us. Now is a good time to fight for our rights. Especially when the world is on the verge of suicide. So consider me as your ally in this.
– You sided with Hogan. There's no way I'm ever believing you.
– It was an epic failure, I agree. Though not as bad as you trying to join the Bellini."
Shame burned my cheeks, and I felt a sudden urge to slap the girl. Instead I bit my lower lip.
"Lord, you are annoying. Aren't you Kane people supposed to be sarcastic? Or convincing for that matter.
– There is something I don't understand, I changed the subject. About your claim.
– Fail to see why I want my Nome back?
– Yes. Bellini, and Sforza, you are both among the oldest families in the Per Ankh, far more ancient than any of the great European houses. Well, except maybe the Alvensleben and the Montpensier, which are now almost extinct. You could easily rule over a great number of Nomes, a whole part of Europe, maybe even share it among yourselves. Why are you fighting like dogs over the little Italian territory?
– Because Roma is everything. It's power. It's the only thing that ever defeated us. Stronger than time itself. It's Michelangelo and Raffaello. It's the religion that came and took paganism away. It's nothing and everything at the same time. I would trade a thousand New York, San Francisco or Miami over one single Roma, or Paris, or maybe London."
Chase smiled:
"She has a point. You can't compare America to Rome, just as Toronto couldn't even dare compare itself to ancient Heliopolis. As for New York, it's not yours, it is Olympus'.
– What of Boston then?
– Boston is different, for me I mean. For you, it's still the same useless thing. It's new. Your magic is forged in time: great old blood, ancient monuments and lost archaic languages."
Of course, I didn't like to be lectured on my own magic by a bloody foreigner. I carefully watched them. How different they were, the three of them! Arthur Chase lived for the knowledge, the poetry of it. He was mingling with every pantheon in the world. He was some kind of wild card, a dream hunter, an explorer. Hannibal didn't care about gods and magic, no more than it frightened him. He just accepted it as a fact, for he cared about people, and fighting for humanity was something, in his mind, that should stand above everything else, above men and gods. Desdemona was turned toward Egypt, and Egypt only.
"So, now that we've discussed everything, how will you act? What will you do?
– Not we, Kane? Mocked Sforza.
– I'm not sure yet, I just answered. I have to process everything.
– Things have not yet settled, said Chase. Pawns are still on the move. Desdemona will go to Venice. If something is to happen, it will probably be during the Samhain celebrations."
Hannibal looked pale and worried.
"They are books I will be needing. From the Twenty-first Nome's library.
– You can always ask Alma." I replied.
He stared at me. That he had planned to ask her hand was a secret to none.
"No, I can't possibly do that.
– What if I don't want to press my claim against my uncle? What's my interest then? What's my reward? I asked.
– What about your father's killer, wouldn't that be a fair price?" Desdemona snapped. Something really heavy fell on my stomach.
"A chance for Jelila Kane to show her own value… she grinned.
– You can't possibly know… The Bellini knew. Or maybe they lied about it to.
– They didn't. Gian was the only one who knew. Gian Bellini. He never told anyone, and then, he was killed."
I narrowed my eyes. I remembered seeing him once, at my father's place, with Sammy Keane. He was a friend of his, if I remember correctly. He said something about moving to America. Said Europe was far too crowded.
"How would you know that?"
She looked at me with her strange sad green eyes.
"I just know. There is a man who can help us. Of course you know him. His name is Giacomo Bellini." No, no, no. I refuse.
"You don't have to do anything. We need your brain, not your pretty body, especially with that one. Though you haven't really shown us the extent of its capacities, of this evening. At least I hope so." Damn you Sforza.
But the proposition was alluring. There's nothing wrong in doing some research, no? It's just knowledge. Knowledge is Thoth's domain. It is not wicked.
I knew what they said about Kane. Wrongly or not, I still believed in blood. I believed there was no escaping it. Our true natures, as were those of all whose lives were stained with magic, came from it. They were only ever two kind of Kane, the strong, sully, noble ones, the builders and the keepers, and sometimes, there were the others. The explorers, the unsatisfied ones, the truth-seekers.
I thought of my aunt Satamon, I thought of myself. What kind of person was I? What kind of life did I want for myself? I wanted power, somehow, I wanted freedom too, and I wanted them both so badly it sometimes ached. I thought of my ex-betrothed suddenly, and figured out that I understood him a bit now. Strange. We could have been something after all.
It was already four in the morning. We ended our conversation, Hannibal left for his Nome, Desdemona headed to bed. I wasn't feeling like sleeping, so I joined Chase on his roof. It was a warm night, almost a summer night. We smoked in silence, looking at the harbor.
"Do you know where she is now? Alexandra Menshikova?"
I don't know why I thought about her. I hadn't seen her, since the end of our fight with the Hogan. She sided with us, and then she was gone, I didn't know where.
"I don't know. They are quite a secretive family.
– How is it really like in Russia?
– Messy.
– You seem to like the word.
– Well, I can't find a more fitting one."
He lit another cigarette and collected his thoughts.
"They invented something called the mark. All people that present some kind of magical danger are registered. Half gods, magicians, chamans… They monitor their moves. They could never control Siberia without it. This land is home to all Indo-European Pantheons, long before the great migrations began.
– Except mine then.
– Yes. That gives Menshikov a certain advantage against his compatriots. Though it doesn't seem enough. You've seen Hannibal. Nothing ever seems enough.
– He looks old.
– He has a point though. People don't care.
– So you're like him. Why are you always waiting for the worst?
– War does that to people."
We stayed silent in the dark.
"Are you cold? He asked suddenly.
– No, I'm fine. Won't you go back inside? It'll be day soon.
– I always wait for the dawn here.
– To reflect upon the solar symbolic?
– Well, the Sun is central, in every single religion, especially in yours I must say.
– We don't worship gods, I corrected." He ignored me.
"It's quite logical. All energy comes from it, all life on earth. But you don't really get it. Not yet."
We were still standing on the mansion's roof, looking at the sleeping city.
"So, who's your mother then?
– Koliada. Shocked?
– The whole concept of Half-gods is quite disturbing, to be honest. So, how are Slavic gods?"
He shrugged.
"Gods are all the same. They live long, they love hard, and they are somewhat fragile and tenuous."
He winked at me. "And they should all go and see Doctor Sigmund Freud once in a while.
– Freud?
– Never heard of him? An Austrian doctor. He invented psychanalysis. One of my good friend is obsessed with him.
– I know who Freud is. Good friend?" He had said those words with some kind of hesitation mixed with shyness.
– "I once love a beauty kissed by sunlight" he said dreamingly. But she's moving too fast. I could never catch her.
– Who is Koliada then? I asked.
– Young winter sun, he said. She's not yet born at this time of the year."
Oh. We stood on that cold roof, waiting for the sun to shine through. Dawn came with its bloodied colors, with its harsh purple gleam. Arthur narrowed his eyes, trying to get a glimpse of something.
"What are you trying to see?
– The Cosmic Tree."
I laughed. I wasn't really sure of what he was talking about.
"So will you join us?
– In what exactly?
– Studying for now. There's nothing wrong in studying.
– I think I'll wait for a divine sign.
– That may be a wise choice.
– I will do some research though. I'll be back in the US only for the demon days, Christmas I mean. But I will go to the West Coast. Will you be in Boston then?
– No, I will go to Europe soon, to the Balkans. There is something I need to see…
– And what is there exactly that you need to see?
– Celebrations of the winter solstice."
He threw his butt from the roof.
"But I'll catch you somewhere. I truly will."
I smiled. We went back inside, to have some breakfast. I grabbed a newspaper, to read the headlines. Then I headed back home.
But after I left, the words lingered on my mind: ancient magic, power, knowledge, Europe, my father's murder, glory, salvation. They stayed and blossomed, planting their poisoned seed of desire and longing in my own anxious heart.