any better than Adam? Should not the animals have wills of their own as well? She thought about going back to speak with Reu, but she didn’t want to admit she might have forced the lions to act on her behalf. She didn’t want to admit she might share that ability with Adam—not just to read minds, but to control them.
None of this would stop Adam from acting, if he thought he could regain control. She was sure of it. But she did not want to control the others or these beasts. Nor did she want to lead, though that seemed to be what she had been made to do. Why had God not given her the desire for it, if it was his intention? Why did Adam seek control and power so fiercely, while she, who seemed meant to lead these people, wanted little to do with any of it?
She sat down in the grass with a clear view of the lions as they lounged in the sun. It was not a blistering heat, yet, but Eve imagined she would be grateful for the shelter and shade of the caves before long. She wondered if the lions, too, would seek some kind of shelter. She plucked at a piece of the tall grass, ripping it into pieces with her fingers. Maybe that would be a good way to test things. They certainly didn’t seem to want to do much in the heat. She focused on the largest lion, the one with the big mane of darker fur, and pictured it standing up and walking to the shelter of the shallow cave where she and Reu had spent the night.
The lion sat up, looking back over its shoulder at the cave. She felt it consider the idea. Although, consider might have been too human a word. She pictured the lion moving again, imagined the coolness of the cave, out of the sun. She remembered how good the stone had felt against her skin in those first days. How much more comfortable it would be than sitting in the sun.
One of the other lions rose to its feet, padding the short distance to the cave and throwing itself back down on its side. It rumbled with what seemed like pleasure. The largest lion followed, sniffing around the cave and what was left of their fire before lying against the stone in the shade.
There were two more females. Eve repeated the same images. Moving into the cave. The coolness of the stone. The relief from the sun. Their tails switched and their ears flicked before each, in turn, rose and moved into the shade of the cave.
The sun beat down on her, and she gathered some of the dryer grasses for kindling. Maybe they could make the fire outside, to keep it from heating up the cave. But it was cooler on the edge of the mountains than it had been in the valley, and there were more trees and bushes, though none seemed to bear any fruit. She decided to take her own advice and find shelter from the sun and heat. This first attempt had been successful, and she didn’t think the lions were hurt by it, perhaps they had even been helped. Maybe all she had to do was provide suggestion and encouragement. Maybe these animals would learn to trust her, and from that trust they could work together, and bond not just with her, but with Reu too.
She went back to the new cave. Reu was sitting just inside, working the sharp edge of the stone against the fur from the rabbit to scrape the flesh from the skin. The rest of the carcass was tied around a thick branch, suspended between two larger stones.
He looked up when he heard her and nodded to the kindling. “I was beginning to worry you’d been caught by something.”
She sat down next to the carcass and laid the grasses in the middle of the stone circle, picking up the angel’s stones to strike sparks. “I don’t think they’ll hurt me.”
The grass caught and flared. She felt his eyes on her, but she kept her focus on the flame, feeding more grass, and then smaller sticks.
He came to sit beside her, turning the meat of the rabbit so it was closer to the fire. “I hope you’re right, Eve. That they will be our friends and not our enemies. But I don’t think they were made to be.”
“I think I can find a way.”
She felt him watching her again. “You feel them, don’t you?”
She nodded, and looked up at him. “I don’t want to force them to do anything. But maybe I can find a way to ask them?”
“Promise me you’ll be careful.” His expression was serious.
“I’ll be careful,” she agreed.
He sighed and looked away, out at the grass and the bushes. She felt the conflict in his thoughts, between asking her not to, and encouraging her to do more. He looked back at her face, and his eyes searched hers.
“If I can do it, Reu, there’s no reason Adam can’t.”
His eyes darkened and his mind cleared. He nodded. “Tell me how to help.”
Chapter Thirty-three: 172 BC
Thor bowed respectfully to the immense statue of a seated god, hewn from the rock. The stone scraped as the massive head inclined.
The god was everywhere in his lands as Brahman, taking many forms, but it was only respectful to address him in a manner which allowed response. Bhagavan had been the first to join Ra in the world, and between them, they had created the Covenant, by which every god was now bound. Every god but Elohim’s twins, Adam and Eve.
“Bhagavan-Shiva,” Thor said, “I beg your forgiveness and your indulgence for my intrusion, and thank you for allowing my passage.”
One massive arm stretched out, grinding rock against rock, acknowledgment and invitation both. Thor bowed again, and entered the temple.
The dampness of the jungle around them brought sweat to his brow, but the temple was cooler, if not dryer. Thor followed the path of recently trampled vines, and unlike his last visit, it led him upwards. Crumbling staircases seemed held together by vegetation, and Thor had no choice but to trust that Bhagavan would not let him fall.
He had visited the god before, of course, while journeying for Odin, and found Bhagavan to be a most understanding and excellent host. But this trip was different, made for Eve’s sake, and he hoped, without the knowledge of his father. This far east, and shrouded in the veil of the jungle, itself a part of Bhagavan’s power so near to the temple, Odin would have difficulty seeing them, even from Hlidskjalf.
At last the corridor led into a large room, with wide, open windows, and Thor bowed again to the gods already present. Ra and Athena, of course, but also a second statue, this one of blue-skinned and four-armed Vishnu, the most omniscient of Bhagavan’s aspects, and beside the stone figure stood elephant-headed Ganesha, the most wise, in the flesh.
“Thor of the North,” Buddha greeted him, returning his bow. “It is a great honor to meet you at last.”
“The honor is mine, Siddhartha.” None of the western gods were certain where Buddha had come from. Some called him an Avatar of Vishnu, merely another aspect of Bhagavan himself, but Thor was not so certain. He did not have the same flavor within his aura as Ganesha and the others Thor had met. “Rarely have I heard of a god spoken of so highly by so many.”
“Then you have not heard how the others in this world speak of you, Odin-son,” Buddha replied with a serene smile. “Bhagavan-Shiva begs your forgiveness for not meeting you as well, but I am certain you will be satisfied by Ganesha’s counsel. His decision will be binding for all of the Brahman.”
Thor nodded to the Elephant-headed god. Ganesha’s supple trunk curled, his ears flapping idly in something like a smile, judging by the god’s eyes.
“If it would not be too much trouble,” Thor said, avoiding Athena’s eyes, “might I see her?”
“Ra suggested you might wish it.” Ganesha’s ears flapped again, and he gestured toward the windows. His voice was deep and brassy yet, oddly distant. “I have, ah, removed the obstacles between you, in a sense. The windows look out upon the village, rather than the temple grounds. You must forgive me for not offering more, but it is safer for everyone this way.”
Thor crossed the room, finding a lush river where the courtyard should have stood, and a village set back upon its bank. The scaled back of a crocodile surfaced in the water, green-gold eyes slitted as it searched for prey. The children played far enough back to be safe, dogs chasing them with wagging tails. A girl’s voice rose in a curse as a monkey darted off into the trees, some prize caught to its breast. Thor smiled. It seemed a peaceful
