They came to the base of this hill and noticed that a small crowd had gathered. Diego surveyed the group and someone familiar caught his eye. He watched Daniel weave through the throng towards them.
When he reached them, Diego clasped him in embrace. “Glad you could make it,” said Daniel. “Thanks for taking your time.”
Diego laughed. “We’re very popular people. Everywhere we go people want a photo, people want an autograph; it’s a wonder we can make it down the street. Yet, here we are.”
“I’m surprised they let you through customs.” Daniel turned to Juan. “Good to see you gain, old friend.”
Juan embraced Daniel and then turned his attention to the priest. After introductions were made, Diego spoke solemnly, “So, the time has come.”
“It has come,” Daniel agreed sadly.
“You know about the deaths?” Diego asked.
“I do. I felt it when they died the same as you.”
“They will be missed,” Juan reflected. He started to speak further when he noticed a familiar face.
“Eduardo!”
Diego turned and saw their old friend approaching. A few steps behind him were the other Keepers of the Fountain. “Gentlemen!” Juan exclaimed.
Eduardo growled, “Watch that gentleman talk. You’ll ruin my reputation.”
Then, a smile replaced the scowl and his face lit up. Embraces commenced and they began the business of catching up.
The priest stood quietly listening to their tales. The company he now kept was difficult to believe. If he had not seen the angels himself, he would have dismissed the entire ensemble as mad and returned to Ethiopia.
“I see the aliens are here,” Diego said, reflecting on their surrounding company. He was referring to those who had been assigned to protect the secrets of other planets (some were native to those planets).
Daniel looked at Diego. “She is here too, you know.”
“Who do you mean she?”
“Don’t play dumb. You know exactly who I mean when I say she.”
Diego did know exactly who he meant. She had been assigned to protect the secrets of a tribe on a planet that space probes and telescopes had not yet seen. “If only circumstances were different.”
“Unless you’re killed by a Watcher, you’ll live forever, mate. Surely a more appropriate circumstance will come. But I think you’re just posturing.”
“Perhaps,” Diego said softly. He lifted his eyes back to Daniel. “And thanks for the vote of confidence against the Watchers.”
“I hate to interrupt this special moment in your relationship,” said Eduardo, “but why are we here? What happened to the stone?”
“I had to destroy the stone to call you here,” Daniel answered. “We’re here because we must change existence back. The Watchers will destroy the universe and only the people on this hill can stop them.”
“I don’t understand how we can stop them.”
“Juan knows how to stop them,” Diego replied. All eyes turned to Juan.
“Well, not exactly. Enoch mentioned the Book of Jubilees has the answer.”
“Isn’t that the book you used to defeat the Nephilim?”
“The same. Only now I’m concerned about the sons of the Nephilim. They are called the Elioud. More, there is a lineage from Cain that I fear may have something to do with this.”
Daniel suppressed a smile. He had held the secret for a long time. “You’re right, the Sons of Cain do have something to do with this.”
Juan was surprised at the comment. “How do you know this?”
“It’s very simple. We’re the Sons of Cain. All of us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, Cain had a son, and that son had a son, and that son had a son, and so on. It’s called reproduction. We are all descendants from the same man: Cain.”
“Even if that’s true,” Diego questioned, “why have we been chosen? I thought Cain was a murderer and his line was cursed.”
“He was cursed and so was his line. But it is said that line ended with the Great Flood.”
“So had the line of the Nephilim, supposedly.”
“Some people of faith claim that Cain was not the son of the first man, rather he was the son of a Fallen Angel,” said the priest. “Some scholars say that Fallen Angel was actually the serpent.”
The comment piqued Juan’s curiosity. “Do you believe that?”
“I do not. If that were true and we are the Sons of Cain, that would mean we come from the serpent.”
“I guess that’s always possible but I don’t believe that either.” Juan turned to Daniel. “So what you’re saying is that from the daughters of Cain came the Nephilim and from the sons of Cain came us?”
“And from the Nephilim came the Elioud.”
“So we’re all related,” Juan confirmed.
“Does that explain why we are the way we are?” Diego asked.
“Perhaps. It also explains why we were drawn to the Men of Nod in the first place. I’ve often thought on how opportune it was that of all in the vast American continents, we ended up in their village.”
Diego still wasn’t sure he believed everything that Daniel was saying. “Are you sure we’re the Sons of Cain?”
“So Enoch says. And when has the Voice of God spoken incorrectly?”
“Then why are we on the opposite side of the Watchers? If we’re all from the same family, why aren’t we fighting on their side?”
“Perhaps Cain’s curse was lifted at the time of the Great Flood, allowing those who survived to choose their own path,” Daniel replied.
Juan looked at the priest. “What do you know of the Elioud?”
“I know only what the scriptures say: that they are children of the Nephilim. There are accounts of them having six toes and six fingers but I can’t say what exactly is true.”
Juan considered for a moment. “We must keep an eye out.”
Diego looked to Daniel. “Well, you called us.
