A/N: 09.29.2018
Hey, all! Sorry for my absence. At first, I got caught up in book related stuff (by the way, Tatsu Angelo: Ronin Days is now available on Amazon) but the past week has seen two people close to me pass away. That's been tough to deal with. Tough times usually leads to writer's block and mine hit pretty hard. But I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I really enjoyed it once I hit my stride.
Chapter 12: Damnation
Edgar and Edom were in a safehouse in Florence with Ichabod and Abbie, a place where they could examine the map and from any of Set's machinations. In the innermost room of the house, a room that looked very similar to the Archives in Sleepy Hollow, Edgar was scanning over the map, making a lot of notes as he simultaneously read through the Raven's Ledger that Edom brought.
Abbie was standing by Ichabod and he noticed that she seemed very deep in thought, far more than usual.
"Are you alright?" Ichabod asked.
Abbie looked at him and motioned toward a hallway. They both walked into the hallway, closing the door behind them.
"I don't want to bother them," Abbie said.
"Of course," Ichabod said. "Though, I'm sure it wouldn't be a bother to them. What has your mind plagued, my love?"
"Everything Edgar said," Abbie replied. "About me finishing Grace's journal."
"Are you bothered by it?"
"Confused more than anything." She started to pace. "What do I say, Crane? What do I write? Everything about me and Jenny as kids? Meeting you? Finally accepting being a Witness? Raising monsters, fighting them? What?"
He shrugged, "Perhaps all of it."
"You should write. You're more well-spoken than me."
"I speak in a different manner than you," Ichabod pointed out. "That doesn't mean that it's better. More to the point, Grace left it for you. Not me."
Abbie let out a soft sigh, "Alright, fine. But who am I writing to? Who's gonna read this?"
"Perhaps those who continue the mission next."
"It's supposed to end with us. We're the Witnesses. It's supposed to come down to us and no one else."
"Then we save it for those who need to know what we survived," Ichabod said. "Those who are on their own journey, who need to know survival and victory are possible."
"Some of the time, it was just dumb luck," Abbie pointed out.
"Perhaps. But I still prefer that to the alternative."
"Gotta agree with you there."
Ichabod stared at her for a moment. "Perhaps… it's for our future children. So, they can know what their parents went through."
Abbie looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Children. Plural, huh?" She smiled.
"Just a thought."
She shrugged, "Not a bad one."
"Really?" Ichabod asked, quickly, with piqued interest.
"Nope." Abbie smiled. "Not at all."
The door opened and Edom walked into the hallway.
"Hey, Ed," Abbie greeted.
"Everything okay?" Edom asked. "You've both been gone for a minute."
"Yeah."
"She's just at a crossroads," Ichabod said.
"About what Edgar told you?" Edom asked Abbie.
Abbie nodded.
"You know that's not something you have to do right now. Or at all."
"I know but it feels like I should, though," Abbie admitted. "I mean, the journal's back home. But… I feel like I should do it. I just don't know what to say."
"It's your life, Abbie," Edom said. "And I mean that in all senses of the phrase. Say what you want."
Abbie smiled then felt her cell phone buzz. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw the number Frank gave her show up. "It's Frank."
"Give him the address here," Edom said. "It'll be great for you to see your friend."
"Is the area safe?" Ichabod asked.
"I had a walkabout earlier. I didn't catch sight of anyone or anything out of the ordinary. Things seem to be fine. For the moment, at least. I'll check the area again in a moment."
"Great," Abbie said. "Thanks, Ed."
Minutes later, Edom brought Frank down to the hallway where Ichabod and Abbie were sitting on a couch, waiting. When she saw Frank, Abbie smiled. She got to her feet and hugged Frank as he approached. Ichabod got up and shook Frank's hand.
"Well, I'm sure you all have a great deal of catching up to do," Edom said. "I shall return to help Edgar."
"Has he made any progress?" Ichabod asked.
"He has but he won't share the details." Edom groaned. "Writers. They always keep the specifics to themselves."
"That sounded like stereotyping," Abbie smiled.
"For writers, it's accurate," Edom replied.
"Thanks a lot, Mr. Edom," Frank said.
"Oh, no thank you, necessary, Mr. Irving," Edom said. "And please, 'Edom' is just fine. And, since you're so close to Abbie and Ichabod, you're more than welcome to call me 'Ed.'"
"I appreciate that."
Edom gave a slight bow and returned to the room to continue the work with Edgar.
Frank looked at the couple and smiled, "So, what did it take for you two to finally make this leap?"
"Evil, ancient witch," Abbie said, "kidnapping, Ed fighting demons to save my life. You know. Standard stuff."
Frank laughed. "Yep. So, what's been going since I left? Tell me everything."
"You sure you wanna hear it?"
Frank sat down on the couch, "It's been nearly two years of normal. A little strange won't hurt. Let me have it."
Abbie and Ichabod looked at each other and smiled. They looked back at Frank.
"Okay," Abbie said. "You asked for it. Well… after you left, it all started after Crane went back to England for a while…"
"Again, my apologies," Ichabod said.
"You better be," Abbie declared. "Anyway…"
Edgar was still reading his Ledger and going over the map. He shook his head, "I don't understand it."
"Are you finally going to tell me what you're looking for?" Edom asked.
"Oh, fine!" Edgar said, never looking up. "I can't figure out why Set would need information for the other Sites. One of the Sacred Sites is in Egypt. Set must know where it is. Why does he need the others?"
"Maybe he needs the rest for something more," Edom shrugged. "It is possible to combine their powers in any way?"
"In theory, it's possible. But I'm one of the few people whose gathered enough study of them to…" Edgar looked up suddenly, staring at Edom. His eyes darted back down to his notes and read over a specific series of writings. He smiled, "Soooo. Could that be the game?"
Edom narrowed his eyes, "What is it?"
"Call Osiris."
"And I'm calling him for?"
"I have a couple of questions about the… punishments and laws of the gods. And if gods can go to hell."
Edom stared at him, blankly.
Edgar smiled, never looking up. "I know what I said."
About an hour later, Frank threw his back against the couch, breathless and wide-eyed. Ichabod and Abbie had just explained everything that happened since he had left Sleepy Hollow. Recounting all of the stories from Pandora, the Hidden One, Golan, Migron, and everything in between in one sitting was a lot to absorb all at once.
"Sounds like I left you guys at the wrong time," Frank said.
"Your family came first, Frank," Ichabod said. "It's something we understand quite well."
"Yeah. You guys made your own family since I've been gone."
"Somehow, yeah," Abbie said. "And… we're pretty grateful."
"Family's always something to be grateful for," Frank mused. "So, just so I can know, when are you two getting married?"
"When he makes a decision," Abbie said, pointing at Ichabod.
Ichabod just smiled. "Yes. Because I am the sole indecisive one."
"Shut up."
Frank chuckled, "Well, whenever you guys do it, I'm just glad you both have each other."
"As are we," Ichabod agreed.
Frank stared at Abbie, "I'm glad you could trust someone enough for that. I've always been able to tell that was a problem for you."
"More than I wanted to admit but…" Abbie thought about it and looked over at Ichabod, "…it just never was a question of trust when it came to him."
Ichabod smiled, lovingly, at her.
She looked back at Frank, "I just didn't know that I wasn't questioning it anymore until Jenny and Ed helped me realize it. Guess I was fighting it because I was worried it wouldn't work out. Worried that I wouldn't have him as a friend. But… we just both wanted to be happy. I thought about waiting until our missions were over and done with but… that seemed way too far off and I didn't wanna wait for that."
"I learned that you can't wait for the right time to be happy," Frank explained. "The 'right time' is never gonna come. You have to be happy in the moments you've been given."
Abbie touched her Okodee Mmowere necklace, remembering how much about hers and Ichabod's relationship was tied with him giving the necklace to her. "It's probably why I took this necklace in the first place. After the problems with the Hidden One, I realized how close me and Crane kept coming to losing each other." She looked at Ichabod. "I wanted something to happen. But only if he did." She focused on him for a while. "I'm glad you did."
"I'm glad you did as well," Ichabod replied.
Frank chuckled. "Damn. You two are in deep."
"Yeah, we are," Abbie replied.
"Good for you both, again. Congratulations."
"Thank you," Ichabod replied.
"And that Edom seems like a good guy," Frank added.
"He is." Abbie smiled, warmly, at Frank. "Reminds me of my boss who, somehow, always managed to be my friend, too."
"Did my best," Frank admitted. "Even when it put us all in trouble."
"Mostly due to me," Ichabod admitted.
"Abbie gets enough trouble on her own."
"Why does everybody say that?" Abbie asked.
"Because it's true," Frank answered.
Abbie shot him a droll look.
The door to the inner room opened and Edom poked his head around the corner, "Do pardon my intrusion."
"Got something?" Abbie asked.
"Indeed. If you have a moment."
"I'll wait here," Frank said.
"Oh, nonsense, Mr. Irving," Edom said. "We can't have you sitting here as though you are an outsider. Come along. You have my word we will not make you a part of this madness, but you do have the right to know its cause."
Frank looked at Edom then at Crane, "Damn. They really didn't break the mold."
Edom smiled while Abbie bit back a laugh and Ichabod let out a frustrated sigh. They all walked into the room where Edgar was, excitedly, rocking in his chair.
"You're in a good mood," Abbie said.
"Very much so!" Edgar admitted.
"May we ask why?" Ichabod inquired.
"Because the deliciousness of this little endeavor was more than worth getting out of bed for!" Edgar hopped out of his chair. "Oh, thank you both! I haven't had an incident like this cross my path in decades! And this was even better than that one! Amazing. I thought nothing could be greater than that amazing night in London!"
Ichabod, Abbie, and Frank looked at Edom for an explanation.
"Jack the Ripper's corpse," Edom began. "It sort of… possibly… in a way… got up and started killing on its own. It was only a couple of murders, thankfully, before we stopped it."
"And this…" Edgar chuckled, happily, "…this, this is euphoria by comparison!"
"Edgar, what the hell are you talking about?" Abbie asked.
"Alright!" Edgar clapped his hands, "I made Edom promise I could explain! It is soooo refreshingly complicated!"
"You're really having fun, aren't you?" Abbie asked.
"A ton!" Edgar hurried over to the map of the Sites, "So, as you know, there are Nine Sacred Sites. They are all located in ancient cities or, as the name implies, historical sites across the globe. Stonehenge, of course, being the most famous of all the Sites, even if no one knows it."
"I had imagined that Stonehenge qualified as such a site," Ichabod said.
"Makes sense," Frank said.
"Yes but another is Egypt!" Edgar said.
"The pyramids?" Abbie asked.
Edgar paused and smiled, brightly, "Oh, Abbie. Your immediate insight cannot be understated. Thank you for being a refreshing light of brilliance in this dark world of stupidity."
"One more soliloquy and I'm telling the rest of this explanation," Edom threatened.
"Oh, fine, fine!" Edgar said. "I shall digress. But you're not far off, Abbie. However, if it were that simple, it wouldn't be nearly as much fun! No, no, no, the area stretching from… at least, a five-mile radius of the Great Sphinx of Giza is one gigantic Sacred Site, with its power flow concentrated beneath the Sphinx itself. That's how strong the power is in Egypt." He pointed to the map, his finger landing on the Sphinx in Giza, "Which is how Set should have returned."
"You really focused on the word 'should' just now," Abbie narrowed her eyes.
"Didn't I, though?! So. Set has got himself into a wee bit of trouble with his fellow Egyptian gods and couldn't return to our world through his own people's gateway. They wouldn't allow him! Therefore, he used another! Gateway and god, that is! And not from his own family! And the blood and spirit of said god to do so."
"And the god he wronged would be?" Ichabod asked.
"He murdered the Norse god, Forseti, son of Balder."
"Which surprises me that Odin didn't declare war on the whole of the Earth and/or the dynasty for that," Edom said. "Osiris did explain that Ra managed to soothe Odin before he went a warpath. A surprise, given Odin's temper. The ancient deities don't interfere with Earth as much anymore as sort of a… pact they all once made. A violation like one god killing another and fleeing to Earth could make them all nullify that pact. To a certain degree, of course."
"You said you'd let me explain!" Edgar shouted.
"Oh, you didn't know all of that!" Edom argued.
"I knew enough!"
Edom growled and rolled his eyes.
"Anyway!" Edgar declared. He took a breath and calmed down. "To sum up, Set's hiding because his powers aren't at full strength and he's been on the run all this time."
"That would make him… a criminal?" Ichabod asked in wonder. "A rogue god?"
"Yes!" Edgar said, excitedly. "Yes! A rogue god! How amazing is that?! Ohhhhh, this inspires me in ways I cannot explain! I could write a series of stories on that one concept alone! Add to it, the sheer fact of a god being hunted by his own family! Oh, the possibilities are…!"
"Edgar!" Edom shouted.
Edgar got ahold of himself and cleared his throat, "Yes, yes, yes. So, to matters of this… hm, case, as it were, Set's powers, while still frightening at this stage, are nowhere near where he needs them to be, mostly due to his improper return to form."
"That's the reason for his current physical appearance," Edom said.
Edgar growled at Edom for stealing another explanation from him. Edom just smiled at him, haughtily.
"How does Set still have followers if gods aren't allowed on Earth?" Abbie asked.
"Oh, every god has followers of some kind," Edgar answered. "Some more radical and dangerous than others but they have them."
"In spades, in some cases," Edom added.
"As you say," Edgar said. "Onward with my point, there are many who want Set and want him sentenced to death. And death will have a much different meaning for him when that sentence is carried out." He started laughing. "And he's in trouble when he does!"
"Meaning?" Abbie asked.
"There will be a great judgement upon him. Odin and all of Asgard will have him charged and Osiris and the dynasty, complete with Great Ennead and even their higher ups, Ogdoad, have given their total blessing on having Set taken down and executed."
Abbie folded her arms and scoffed, "Damn!"
"EXACTLY!" Edgar said, excitedly. "An excellent choice of words! Set is damned indeed!" He got a hold himself again, clearing his throat. "So, then, the point is Set's fallen, vastly, out of favor with everyone. Set just doesn't want to reestablish his reign back on Earth. Now, he has to. His greed caught up with him. The bottom line is that Set is no one's favorite and he's completely out of friends, aside from his followers and what few monsters still obey him."
"And Osiris knew about this?" Abbie asked.
Edgar nodded, "Yes. It was one reason that he was hunting Set. The dynasty would rather avoid a war with another pantheon and, readily, agreed to do away with their outcasted brother. Osiris agreed to take on the responsibility, personally. He was one of the few strong enough who could."
Abbie nodded, "Alright. So we can bring down the god of chaos. And how are we doing that?"
"We trap him at one of the Sites," Edgar said, smiling. "Strip of him of his powers and leave him for the wolves. I'm not sure if I mean that metaphorically yet or not."
"And how shall we carry out this mission?" Ichabod asked.
"We're going to make Set come to us," Edom said.
Edgar began to protest.
"I said I'd let you explain about Set," Edom preempted. "I'm going to tell them the plan."
Edgar shut his mouth and, irritably, waved Edom on.
Edom chuckled. "Anyway. We're going to get a message to Set. If he wants the knowledge to control the Sites, he'll meet us at one."
"Which one?" Abbie asked.
"The Sphinx. We're going to Egypt. We're taking him home."
"Are you sure he'll take the bait?" Ichabod asked.
"He has no choice," Edom declared. "If he wants any hope of avoiding his damnation, he'll have to risk going to its source."
Frank exhaled and folded his arms. "You guys are doing way more since I was in Sleepy Hollow."
"Yep." Abbie took a deep breath and exhaled, "So, basically, we have to corner a god of chaos in a mousetrap. Yeah, that won't go wrong."
"I never said this would be easy," Edom pointed out.
"It wouldn't be a mission were a part of if it were," Ichabod admitted.
"Danger, intrigue, and a heady amount of supernatural dilemmas and quandaries!" Edgar laughed and threw his arms in the air, "Christmas has arrived early, my friends! Let us celebrate! A toast to the fall of the god of destruction! May he never reign again!"
A/N: So, I recently learned that there certain names for the Egyptian gods, just not the group as a whole. They Great Ennead was a group of nine deities in Egyptian mythology worshiped at Heliopolis: the sun god Atum; his children Shu and Tefnut; their children Geb and Nut; and their children Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys. Ogdoad were eight primordial deities worshipped in Hermopolis.
So, now, we know what's going on. We are about to hit the climax, my friends. It's time the Witnesses faced off against the god of chaos! Don't miss it! See you soon!