Chapter 21

I was sleeping very peacefully after that brouhaha with Satet and Zahhak at an oasis just inland from the great sea. However, as has gotten common lately, my sleep was interrupted by a dream sent by my Mentors on the moon (at least, I think that's where they are, now). A face showed up and blotted out the dream I was having. The face said, "Vilkatas, your services are needed in Babylon. Please go see what Marduk is screaming about. He is nearly hysterical with fear over something, and he does need to be calmed down, otherwise that part of the world will be covered by storms and it could rain for 40 days and 40 nights. We don't want that because it makes such a mess of the ecosystem."

"Sure, I'll be happy to go, but who is Marduk? I need to know who I am asking for."

"Sorry. Marduk is the chief deity of the Babylonians. Normally, he is easy to get along with, but something has really upset him this time. Please see if you can calm him down. You seem to be very good at that sort of thing."

"OK, I'll see what I can do. Can I sleep the rest of the night and leave in the morning?"

"That will be satisfactory. Go to Babylon and shout 'Bel Marduk, I am here to help you!'"

The dream faded and I slept the rest of the night. The next morning, I got us lined up to trek to Babylon and we set off. With one thing and another, it took us a little over three weeks to get to Babylon, but, when we did, I stood at the Gate of Ishtar and shouted, "BEL MARDUK, I AM HERE TO HELP YOU!"

A voice rang inside my head, "Who are you, and how can you help me?"

"I am Vilkatas. I was told that you have a serious problem and needed help. I was not told what the problem was, but it was said that I probably could help you."

"Very well, I'll take your word for it. Find someplace to sleep, and I will collect you and bring you to the spirit world."

"Fine, I'll find a place to park our caravan and go to sleep on my bed inside. It may take a couple of hours, but I will hurry as fast as I can. I would like to bring two very precocious children and a very wise adult with me. Is that acceptable?"

"Whatever you think you may need will be acceptable. I will be waiting for you."

We found a caravan park where the carts could be parked and the horses cared for while I was busy with Marduk. Aklag, Herlo, Tarsy, and I lay down on my bed and went to sleep. We had hardly dozed off when a very imposing figure appeared and said, "I am Marduk. I have come to collect you for the spirit world."

We were all having the same dream, so none of us were surprised when we seemed to drift our of our bodies and followed Marduk as he led us to a house which seemed to be located in the clouds. Inside, there was a large ceremonial chamber, much larger than the outside of the house. Marduk sat on what had to be a throne and had us sit on chairs spaced in an arc in front of him.

Marduk said, "I assume that the problem you are referring to is the theft of the Tablets of Destiny by Anzu. I was quite upset when it first happened, but I have since realized that Anzu has no way to use the Tablets and was doing it just to vex me. However, there are other deities and demigods, as well as demons, who could use the Tablets of Destiny to become the rulers of the universe, not just the Babylonian spirit world, so it is imperative that the Tablets be recovered. This time, when I get them back, I will store them in a secure place and not leave them lying on my desk, as has been my practice.

"Anzu is an eagle with a lion's head. He is a demigod who is responsible for controlling the weather in this part of the world, but he is kind of flighty and excitable, so I often have to do his work. Overall, he is a reasonably nice guy, but he is inclined to be forgetful. I suspect that he hardly remembers taking the Tablets and may not even remember where he put them after he snatched them. In any case, it would indeed be a great service to me if you could find and return the Tablets of Destiny to me without upsetting Anzu; otherwise, we could be in for a stormy time."

"OK, I think that we understand enough of the problem to get started tracking down the Tablets of Destiny. I looks to me like we should start out by paying a social call on Anzu. He might be in a good mood and just give us the Tablets to return to you if we ask him politely. Where can we find him, and how do we get there?"

"I'll just transport you to Anzu's dwelling, and you can take it from there. Call my name when you are ready to return, and I will bring you back.

"I'm curious about what you use your compatriots for. I can see that you are a natural leader, but what do these other people do?"

I grinned at this and answered, "Aklag is my font of wisdom. He is good at puzzling out the answers to difficult questions. Herlo and Tarsy are my intimidators. Though still only children, they are very imaginative and dangerous fighters. Children, please show Marduk your favorite fighting shape, but don't actually do any fighting."

Both of the children morphed into their nightmare black shape of fangs and claws. I waited for Marduk to nod before I had them switch back to their human form. Marduk grimaced and said, "Yes, those are truly intimidating shapes. I would hate to have them come after me. I can see that you are well prepared to take care of yourselves."

We talked for a few more minutes before Marduk transported us to Anzu's dwelling. Now I understand why everybody kept referring to it as Anzu's "dwelling." This was a monster bird's nest, woven from logs and tree limbs. Bits of cloth which appear to be ships' sails and desert tents were woven in here and there. Bones of many large animals, things like whales and elephants, littered the floor of the nest, and there were a lot of molted feathers from Anzu, himself, lying about ready to trip the unwary visitor.

Anzu appeared to be just finishing lunch as we arrived—he was picking a bit of whale-shark gristle from his beak. His first statement was, "Hello, I hope you are not hungry, since I have just eaten the last bit of food on the premises."

I assured him that we were not hungry, and I introduced us as visitors who wanted to meet the being who controlled the weather in this area. Such a being had to have great power and we wanted to see him in action. This was enough to tweak Anzu's pride, and he was glad to see us. He said, "I have a big sandstorm scheduled for 2:14 this afternoon; would you like to see how I set it up?"

We jumped at the chance to watch, the children were particularly enthralled. Anzu started out by gathering winds from the immediate area, but quickly enlarged his scope until he had an impressive force ready to unleash on the unsuspecting ground. He said, "I hate to spring this on the beings below without some sort of warning, it just doesn't seem sporting if a big storm is a total surprise. I usually cast a warning by billowing up some menacing clouds, but many of the beings affected are just too dumb or arrogant to pay attention. Oh, well, I tried."

Precisely at 1:37 PM, clouds started to form in the affected area, and they were truly a menacing sight by 2:06. At 2:07, the first strong breeze could be felt at ground level. This built steadily until 2:14, when the full force of the storm was unleashed on this particular expanse of desert. The storm blew itself out at 3:53, and Anzu commented, "That storm was rather brief, I know, but its main purpose was to act as a safety valve to relieve some of the pressure building up over those mountains you see over there. It is much too early in the year for a snow storm, but a considerable quantity of snow would have fallen if I had not done something to vent a portion of the energy that had built up over the past few months."

We all congratulated Anzu for his ability to control such great forces and for the fine touch he exhibited with his control. We were not faking this admiration, he had really shown considerable finesse in handling such tremendous forces. Anzu had some time, now, so I gently broached the real reason for our visit. "Marduk is really pissed over the loss of the Tablets of Destiny, and he is contemplating some drastic action if he doesn't get them back pretty soon."