Lord in all its intensity. And that meant it was impossible to deny the compassion that arose within him.
'Okay,' said Colt. 'But my people get to leave first. You wait till we're all off and then you follow.'
'Oh no,' said Hiamovi. 'That won't work. We leave this plateau like we left the complex. Shoulder to shoulder, everyone of my people and yours.'
'Alright,' said Colt offering his hand. 'That ain't gonna be easy, but you got yourself a deal.'
Hiamovi had accepted Colt's hand. He had made only one provision to the deal. That he and Colt be the last to leave the plateau. Only when both their armies were safely across would they leave, side by side.
Now he stood with Onatah, watching his people march along the tiny causeway, right alongside Colt's men. A scuffle broke out in the centre of the line between one of Hiamovi's braves and another of Colt's mob.
'You two either side,' Hiamovi bellowed at the line. 'Grab that brave.' The men in the line did as they were told. 'Now throw him over the side.'
'And I want you to do the same with that son of a bitch,' Colt hollered from his side. Both captive men tried to plead with their leaders. But to no avail, their comrades pushed them over the side into the burning lava below.
'I want you to understand,' shouted Hiamovi to his people. 'That there are no sides at this moment in our struggle. We all have to work together or we all die.'
The lines settled down into silent animosity, marching along next to each other. There were no further incidents.
'Not quite the outcome that we envisaged is it?' Onatah said. 'And yet, maybe it is.'
'How do you mean?' asked Hiamovi. 'I can't believe any among us foresaw this.'
'Perhaps we all did. We came here to bring about the Fifth Age of Man, didn't we? At least that's what I thought we were fighting for. Didn't the prophecy say that a Kachina would arise from one among us. I saw that girl as clearly as everyone else. She is one of our people. Yet she has the power to kill everyone on the planet, sparing only those she chooses. That would make her a god in human form or, as the Hopi would have it, a Kachina.'
'Go on.' Hiamovi said.
'She's supposed to appear in the sky at the return of Pahana and herald the coming of the Fifth Age of Man. She will bring about an end to our greatest struggle and deliver us from our enemies without any bloodshed. Forgive me if I'm wrong Great Chief, but isn't that exactly what we've just seen?'
'I suppose you could see it that way.'
'Great Chief, we staked a lot on coming back with the Doomsday Virus and striking a decisive blow against the Neo-Clergy. The UTN is not a single rock solid alliance, it's a series of very tenuous ones. We need something the tribes can unite behind to keep them together as a nation. What better than the arrival of the Fifth Age of Man, the fulfilment of the prophecy? A fulfilment to which we have over two thousand witnesses.'
'And what about Pahana?' said Hiamovi. 'The brother who returns with the lost tablet to lead his people?'
'You might not know this Great Chief,' said Onatah. 'But Cheveyo always believed you were the harbinger of Pahana's coming returned to his people. That's why he supported the UTN so fervently.'
'Ah yes, Cheveyo.' A great regret welled up within Hiamovi.
'You know Great Chief, an act of mercy towards one of our most prominent Hopi chiefs might just be what the tribes would expect from the returned Pahana. It might signal a new direction for the UTN. Especially if you were to restore his position on the inner council, wouldn't you agree?'
'You are a wise woman Onatah,' said Hiamovi. 'And you know how to plead a cause. I am glad we are friends, from now on, please call me Hiamovi and not Great Chief.' Off in the distance, for the first time in what felt like an age, Hiamovi heard Coyote howl.
'And she was raised in a Christian community,' said the Prophet. 'That's what she told you?'
'Enough with the questions,' said Colt. 'I've been through this with you already.'
'But don't you see what this means? The prophecy, the one I've been preaching for months. The one I told you would come to pass. It has. You saw it. Didn't I tell you it was going to happen?'
'I didn't see nothing. 'Cept a wasted opportunity.'
'Oh no Samuel. You don't get away that easily. Didn't I tell you an angel who had once been a woman would appear in the sky above the two armies and turn herself into a bright and shining star.'
'What?' said Colt in disbelief. 'That squaw who just fouled up months of planning? She ain't no angel. She's just some medical freak show is all. 'Sides, I didn't see her turn into no star.'
'She said three hours didn't she?' said the Prophet. 'It's dusk already. In another hour it's going to be night and that's when she detonates. Lighting up the sky like a star.'
'Now you're just straining to fit the facts to your story.'
'No I'm not. Didn't I also tell you she would deliver us from the hands of our enemies without a single drop of blood being spilled? Look what's happening now Samuel. We're walking side by side with our enemy off the battlefield without a single casualty. This is a genuine miracle we're witnessing here. And you know what that means. You know why God sent you that vision of our Lord Jesus Christ?'
'No Robert. But I don't think anything's going to stop you from telling me.'
'Why you're the new Moses I saw. Come to deliver his people unto a new kingdom, just like the Israelites. This was your testing ground Samuel. God sent you here to cleanse you, to make you a better ruler. This was your time in the wilderness, and you've come through. What's more you've got a genuine miracle, as witnessed by thousands of the faithful to legitimise your rule. There aren't many rulers who can say that.'
'You're a wily old buzzard aren't you Robert. I should always keep a close eye on you.'
'Why Samuel, coming from you, I'd swear that's a compliment.'
As the sky darkened Cortez stood at the mouth of the pass and watched the explosion. He did this in honour of his friend and her great bravery.
Once over the bridge, the two armies had parted and gone their separate ways without incident. Perhaps this was because the area was about to become contaminated or because they had nothing left to fight over. Maybe it was simply the will of Allah.
Hiamovi had offered Cortez a place in the UTN before he left. Cortez had neither accepted nor declined. He wasn't certain what his options were just yet. Hiamovi had understood and had given Cortez a location where he could meet up with the UTN later if he chose.
He thought it a little ironic that Anna had indeed become a saviour, of a kind, to these two causes. Not at all the sort of saviour that Greaves had foreseen.
Greaves had refused to leave the plateau when the others did. Cortez had tried at first to persuade him to come with them, then he had simply attempted to drag him away. But Greaves fought too hard and, in the end, Cortez had honoured his wishes and left him there. He was no longer in Greaves' employ and the two no longer had any obligation to each other.
As the explosion faded from the night sky, Cortez said a prayer to Allah for the safe conduct of Anna's soul. He also asked for guidance on what he should do next and where he should go.
A verse from the Qu'ran came into his mind, as if from nowhere.
'Allah guides whom He wills to His light… Allah is knower of all things.'
Cortez smiled to himself. 'Well that,' he said aloud to the empty landscape around him, 'is as good an answer as I'm likely to get.'
CHAPTER THIRTY
Greaves cackled with delight as he found another tiny fragment of Anna's flesh. This one contained a trace of cartilage. He carried it over to the container that he'd found inside the complex and added it to the small pile of fragments he'd already collected. He brushed a tiny bit of grit off it before he dropped it in.
Then he washed his hands in the plastic tub of water he'd also brought from the complex. He had to keep himself clean. He didn't want to contaminate the samples.
Greaves knew that if he collected every single scrap of her body into one place, the Doomsday Virus would reassemble it and bring her back to life. He just had to find every tiny piece of her. Her near immortality would do
