Clockwork Phoenix 3: new tales of beauty and strangeness Read online

  CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 3

  New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

  Edited by Mike Allen

  Published by Mythic Delirium Books

  This book is a work of fiction. All characters, names, locations, and events portrayed in this book are fictional or used in an imaginary manner to entertain, and any resemblance to any real people, situations, or incidents is purely coincidental.

  CLOCKWORK PHOENIX 3

  New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

  Edited by Mike Allen

  Electronic edition copyright © 2012 by Mike Allen. All Rights Reserved.

  Cover Painting:

  “Light of the Harem” by Sir Frederic Leighton, c. 1880

  Cover Design Copyright © 2010 by Mike Allen and Vera Nazarian

  Published by Mythic Delirium Books

  Introduction © 2010 by Mike Allen

  “The Gospel of Nachash” © 2010 by Marie Brennan

  “Tomorrow Is Saint Valentine’s Day” © 2010 by Tori Truslow

  “Crow Voodoo” © 2010 by Georgina Bruce

  “Your Name Is Eve” © 2010 by Michael M. Jones

  “Hell Friend” © 2010 by Gemma Files

  “Braiding the Ghosts” © 2010 by C.S.E. Cooney

  “Surrogates” © 2010 by Cat Rambo

  “Lucyna’s Gaze” © 2010 by Gregory Frost

  “Eyes of Carven Emerald” © 2010 by Shweta Narayan

  “Dragons of America” © 2010 by S.J. Hirons

  “Where Shadows Go at Low Midnight” © 2010 by John Grant

  “Lineage” © 2010 by Kenneth Schneyer

  “Murder in Metachronopolis” © 2010 by John C. Wright

  “To Seek Her Fortune” © 2010 by Nicole Kornher-Stace

  “Fold” © 2010 by Tanith Lee

  Books by Mike Allen

  Available on Kindle

  Short Fiction

  She Who Runs

  Sleepless, Burning Life

  Stolen Souls

  As Editor

  Clockwork Phoenix: Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

  Clockwork Phoenix 2: More Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

  Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness

  The Clockwork Phoenix series is also

  available in diverse formats at Weightless Books.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  For this third volume of Clockwork Phoenix, the largest one yet, I have to acknowledge first and foremost the support of publisher Vera Nazarian, without whom none of these volumes would exist. As always, my wife Anita assisted me during all phases of this particular creature’s assembly, and again, credit for the stories’ unique arrangement should go to her. I’m grateful to Amal El-Mohtar, Michael M. Jones, and Cathy Reniere for their input and encouragement, to Anne S. Zanoni and Francesca Forrest for invaluable assistance with proofreading, and to all the contributors, some of whom had to patiently wait quite a while to see their finely crafted pinions bolted into the machine.

  As we put this book together, Blair Grimm, a fellow Roanoke, Va., resident who had for years been instrumental in gathering the science fiction and fantasy fans here into a coherent community, passed away at the too-young age of 52. Last fall, having just finished exhausting cancer treatment, Blair selflessly helped a motorist free their car during the heaviest snow storm this region has seen in over a decade, and afterward died of a heart attack. The mourners at his funeral all spoke of his generosity, his gregariousness, and how he, like Will Rogers, never met anyone he didn’t like.

  This book is dedicated to Blair’s memory.

  In memory of Blair M. Grimm

  CONTENTS

  INTRODUCTION

  Mike Allen

  THE GOSPEL OF NACHASH

  Marie Brennan

  TOMORROW IS SAINT VALENTINE’S DAY

  Tori Truslow

  CROW VOODOO

  Georgina Bruce

  YOUR NAME IS EVE

  Michael M. Jones

  HELL FRIEND

  Gemma Files

  BRAIDING THE GHOSTS

  C.S.E. Cooney

  SURROGATES

  Cat Rambo

  LUCYNA’S GAZE

  Gregory Frost

  EYES OF CARVEN EMERALD

  Shweta Narayan

  DRAGONS OF AMERICA

  S.J. Hirons

  WHERE SHADOWS GO AT LOW MIDNIGHT

  John Grant

  LINEAGE

  Kenneth Schneyer

  MURDER IN METACHRONOPOLIS

  John C. Wright

  TO SEEK HER FORTUNE

  Nicole Kornher-Stace

  FOLD

  Tanith Lee

  PINIONS

  The Authors

  INTRODUCTION

  Mike Allen

  Everything.

  And then, nothing at all.

  The cosmos spins its gears and stretches wings, the ticks of its constant grinding both too slow and too rapid to ever be detected. When it collapses to ash, everything within the dimensional tiers of its clockwork body burns to nothing.

  Every pinion of this universe is a vane of time rooted in unfathomable past, grown up and out to form a spine that supports uncountable possible futures. And each of these feather-shafts fans out strands of temporal down that are themselves fractal branchings, mathematical quandaries of choices taken and not taken.

  This celestial entity is vast and avian, at once bird and gear-spun egg, its shape incomprehensible to our eyes as its outlines distort and refract through higher and higher dimensions. Our linear brains can only grasp small portions of its living surface, trivial compared to the titanic and invisible feats of mechanics that bring this cosmic beast to life.

  But that surface is all we can know — thus it is vital to know it. With more facets than a galactic cluster of diadems, each of these facades contains a new world that you and I may peer into as through a reading lens. And everywhere we look, the celestial clockwork meshed beneath the surface constructs a different face.

  Here, bodies pile in graves, and here, bodies rise from them. Here beings that were once men walk against the grain of time with ease, while here time sweeps all before it in a relentless flood.

  Here we spy upon winged machines, portraits in miniature of the universe that spawned them, sharing their dangerous wisdom with things of weaker flesh. Move our gaze here: now those wings bear madness, or the sadness of final peace.

  Here above a vista of towers numerous as molecules we seek in vain for those who’ve hidden themselves in chambers deep beneath, until someone grows their own will to fly, soars in the sky just beneath us, tantalizing, so bright yet still so far out of reach.

  Some of these surface denizens hop from world to world as easily as disrupting a dream. And some are like us, doomed always to stand outside the dreams of others, looking in.

  And yet, all these teeming shards of consciousness amount to no more than figments and fragments, elementary particles bonded in a puzzle of gearbox bird and orrery egg.

  Amid these wonders and horrors, you and I are no more than two uncertain strands, and the ends of our ropes are already burning. Every strand of time is a fuse, every event along its length the fuel that converts all our existence to ash.

  The last surfaces we see are our own skins, peeling as we ignite.

  And yet, like clockwork, like the inexorable heartbeat of the divine, a universe reduced to nothing has no choice but to crawl and crank and grind until its pieces restore themselves, ourselves still contained within it, recombined into something beyond the comprehension of our old lives, yet still enduring a rebirth. The light of new stars,
the splitting of new cells, all background noise in the swell of the defiant raptor’s roar.

  We do not recognize each other when we return, and yet, here we are.

  And once again, we have new facets to explore.

  A new beginning.

  THE GOSPEL OF NACHASH

  Marie Brennan

  1.

  In the beginning God made the world, and on the sixth day he made creatures in his image. Male and female he created them, and they were the bekhorim, to whom God gave dominion over every herb bearing seed, and every tree bearing fruit, to be in their care. Mankind he formed from dust, but the bekhorim were made from air, and their spirits were more subtle than that of man.

  Then the LORD planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed, and the bekhorim tended the garden, for they had dominion over all growing things. And he gave to each of them a duty, saying, Each tree in the garden you shall tend, and each of you shall have a tree, which shall be as meat for mankind, and for the beasts of the field. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they shall not eat.

  Among the bekhorim there was one called Nachash, and to him it was given to tend the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And Nachash was saddened, for all his kindred had purpose, but he had none, for man and woman ate of every tree in the garden save his, and he labored without purpose.

  He went therefore to the woman, who was called Chava, and said unto her, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

  And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

  But the tree was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and Nachash knew of no death in it. And for what purpose did it bear fruit, if not to be eaten? Therefore he said to the woman, Ye shall not surely die, for in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

  And the LORD God was wroth with them, and expelled them from the garden. And the bekhorim he expelled likewise, for the sin of Nachash, who had beguiled the woman into eating. Their forms he altered in divers ways; but Nachash he cast down upon his belly, to crawl in the dust from which man had come. He placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

  2.

  Thus were the bekhorim made wanderers in the lands outside of Eden, which were as a wilderness, full of thistles and thorns. For the LORD had cursed the ground, that Adam might labor with much toil to bring forth food from it, and for the bekhorim it was likewise cursed; that which was their dominion was now fallen into ruin. And the bekhorim lamented, saying, We are condemned; for the sin of Nachash we are condemned.

  But he had sinned unknowing, for Nachash had not eaten of the fruit of the tree. Of good and evil the bekhorim were ignorant.

  Now it came to pass that many among them sickened and became weak. In the garden there had been neither sickness nor death, nor any ill thing, but in the wilderness beyond there was much confusion, for no creature yet had knowledge of death. And the LORD God went to the tree of life and took from it a branch; and from that branch he formed a creature, shaped like unto the bekhorim, and breathed life into her, saying, This is my daughter, for she is created from me. And she was called Anaph, because she was born from the tree of life.

  The bekhorim were then living in the lands west of Eden. Nachash lived not among them, but skulked and crawled at the edges of their camps, and whenever one saw him, that one threw a stone, to drive him forth. Yet one day he came within their camp and said to them, Send me not away, for I have had a vision, which comes from the LORD God. He hath shown me a wind out of the east, where Eden lies; and this wind bringeth a great mystery, which is the mystery of life and death. Follow me into the east, that we may greet this wind, and know the will of God.

  But the people jeered and did not believe. They said, Why should the LORD show this vision to thee, for whose transgression we are all condemned? And in their hearts they were afraid, that if they approached the garden they would be struck down by the angels who kept the way of the tree of life.

  Therefore Nachash went alone, journeying forty days and nights through the wilderness, until he faltered with weakness and thirst. He said, Though I can go no further, my faith endures; I will lie here in the dust, and await the coming of that which is promised. And in that moment he felt wind upon his face.

  The wind was the coming of Anaph, who came as a storm and a whirlwind, driving all the dust before her. Yet when she laid her hand upon his face, her touch was gentle, despite that there was strength in it; and with her touch Nachash was revived, and opened his eyes. Before him he saw a glory so terrible he hid his face, saying, You are an angel of the LORD, and I am not worthy to look upon your face.

  Look, said Anaph, and Nachash looked; and now she was as any bekhira, but he did not forget the glory he had seen. She said unto him, I am the wind that was promised, and I bring the mystery of life and death, which few will understand. Because thou alone has sought me, I will make of thee my first disciple, and to thou shall be given to understand more than all the others.

  Nachash bowed his head and said, You honor me more than I deserve.

  No honor, said Anaph, but a terrible burden, for the mystery of life and death is both cruel and kind. Thou wilt grieve for thy decision to seek me here, and be despised for its consequence. Yet I tell thee truly, all of this must come to pass, for it is the will of my Father the LORD God.

  And Nachash did not understand, but bowed his head again, and accepted the burden Anaph lay upon him, which in later times brought much grief to his people.

  3.

  Westward she went with Nachash, him upon his belly in the dust behind her, until she came to a camp of the bekhorim. And when they saw her they were much surprised, for their kind were few in number, though not so few as man; strangers had they none. Yet they welcomed her in; but when they saw Nachash in the dust at her heels they halted, saying, Here is one who is not welcome. For his wrongdoing we were expelled, though we are guiltless of his crime.

  Guiltless you are not, said Anaph, for all your kind are kindred, and what tainteth the one tainteth the many. Yet I say to you, be not wroth with him; all this was foreseen by the LORD God, from whom nothing is concealed, and nothing may happen without He permits it. You must allow him into your camps, for none should ever be exiled from among yourselves, however great his crime.

  And they said unto her, Who are you to know these things, that are a stranger to us?

  She answered them, A miracle hath come to pass with Chava and Adam. On the day I was created, so too was life created within Chava’s womb; on the day I set forth on my journey, so too did her travails begin, the great pain which the LORD promised her. And when Nachash opened his eyes and beheld me, yea, at that very moment, she put forth new life, which is a son, and he is named Qayin. For a branch hath come forth from the tree of life, and the spirit of the LORD hath gone into it, and I am that branch, sent unto you.

  But many among them believed not, for they did not understand the mystery she had imparted regarding Chava and her son. Neither did they understand Anaph herself, for they believed the LORD had turned his back upon them, condemning them to sickness and suffering.

  She went therefore among them and found one, a mighty bekhor, whose body was grown weak, so that he could no longer lift himself from where he lay. And she stretched forth her hand, and when she touched him, strength grew once more within him. Thereupon he leapt up as if newly created. Then he knelt at the feet of the daughter of God and said, I know not who you are, but
you have given me back my strength; for that I will follow you to the ends of the earth.

  She said unto him, Follow me and you will bear that which you understand not, for this is the will of the LORD, that the bekhorim, his firstborn, should bear to mankind this mystery, which is for them. And he was called Koach, and became her second disciple.

  She went then among the camps of the bekhorim, and wherever she found sickness, she had but to lay her hand upon the one who sickened, and that one became well. She performed great miracles in this manner, and some who witnessed her miracles followed her, even as Nachash followed her. They complained greatly of this, asking why he should go before them, who was the source of all their guilt. But Anaph told them he must be at her heels, for she had laid a burden upon him, and he must stay with her until he had delivered it unto its fruition.

  4.

  These were the disciples of Anaph: Koach, and Gidul, and Yofi, and Savlan; Ometz, and Yedida, and Tikvah, and Machshava. And Nachash was the ninth.

  To these nine she taught many things, which were hints of the LORD’s plan for the bekhorim. She therefore took them apart, and sat with them upon a hill, and spoke, saying, You are the firstborn creations of the LORD, the elder brothers and sisters of mankind. And it is right for the elder to teach to the younger, knowing things of the world which the younger has not learned. For this you will be rewarded.