Children of the Archangels

CHAPTER 45: THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE

Luke hated flying exposed but flying with Alpha was like being upgraded to business class—it made him feel comfortable. Flying was no longer scary and annoying; it was exhilarating.

Alpha's wings looked like they would crack in the wind, but they were aerodynamic, and they surfed the winds with ease. The hollowness of the wings allowed air to pass through and produce music that sounded like a wind chime orchestra. As Luke was being ferried across, he couldn't help but smile at the serenade Alpha played for in-flight entertainment.

Once he touched down, Luke felt like the child now. He shook Alpha. "Alpha, that was awesome!"

Alpha blushed as he stepped back to give himself some space to take off into the air and retrieve the others. Luke watched as Alpha's wings from afar looked like bronze feathers in the canopy of trees lit by fireflies and plants that bloomed a wide array of colors, turning the forest into a silent disco.

Luke turned around when he heard something scuttle in the bush behind him. Although he couldn't find out what had made the noise, he did spot something hiding behind the dense foliage. He pushed ahead through the plants and stopped as his jaw dropped.

The tree he saw in front of him made the Washington Monument back in D.C. look like a fountain pen. It had so many branches, it would take years to count them all. Each branch sprouted a separate tree from various species, from sequoia to birch, but each one grew a purple fruit in the shape of a plum. The canopy of leaves that covered the entire inner sanctum of the Garden of Eden stemmed from this one tree—the Tree of Knowledge.

Luke appreciated the seemingly infiniteness of the tree, showcasing how knowledge can go on forever. Yet, the Garden's inner sanctum had its borders—knowledge was only allowed to extend so far.

"Luke what are you..." Sirius stopped himself as he stared at the tree. "Wow. This is it. The thing we've come here for."

No animals occupied this tree. No insects landed on this tree. No one disturbed this tree.

"Yeah," Luke gulped as he turned to Sirius and then to Nil. "Where's Alpha?"

Luke looked behind him and spotted Alpha, who had managed to slip by him while he was gawking at the tree. He was reaching for the purple fruit.

Luke had to yell at him. "Alpha don't touch it!"

Alpha froze, his hand caught in the cookie jar. "But it looks so yummy."

"Only Nil can take the fruit," Luke reminded him. You aren't even supposed to be here, Luke had wanted to add but chose not to hurt Alpha's feelings.

"But there's plenty for all of us," Alpha said. "One, two, three, eleven, twenty-three, so many purple things. You think they taste like grapes?"

"I don't know," Luke said. He had eaten the fruit before when he was younger, but he could hardly piece together the fragmented memory let alone remember the fruit's taste.

"I do," Victor stood atop one of the many branches that surrounded them. "The center tastes like sweet jelly with the texture of honey."

Luke had hoped that maybe one of those giant spiders had webbed Victor up in a cocoon; but of course Luke wasn't so lucky. "Where were you this whole time?"

"Scouting," Victor said as he adjusted the straps on his backpack that seemed to be uncomfortable for him to carry. "This Garden is full of interesting things."

"Like what?" Sirius asked this time.

"You should know Sirius, your grandfather has one just like it, but then again, how could you know?" Victor plucked a purple fruit from the tree and tossed it at Sirius. "But now's your chance to regain those memories you've lost."

Sirius caught the fruit and studied it like Victor just handed him a gun. "How did you..."

"You showed up half-a-year ago at your age, conscious and not retarded, and yet you're still clueless as to your own potential." Victor pointed at the fruit in Sirius's hand. "Well, now's the chance to change that."

"You ate the fruit," Luke realized and wanted to strangle Victor for putting the whole mission in jeopardy.

"I'll neither confirm nor deny such accusations, but even so, as your friend Alpha said," Victor stood up and showcased the many branches surrounding him. "There's plenty to go around."

That's when Luke noticed the bag more clearly now. Victor wasn't just "scouting," he was gathering fruit and herbs from the Garden of Eden. He was stealing from the Garden.

"You're crazy," Luke said with clenched fists. "Once you leave the inner sanctum, the statues will come to life and kill us."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Victor shrugged. "Now, feed the retard the fruit so we can leave."

Luke looked to Nil and then back to Victor. Their mission was to feed Nil the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, which will lift him from his suspended mental state. That much Luke knew he could accomplish. But Victor was making the part of leaving here alive much more complicated with his greediness.

"Toss me one," Luke said. He knew he had to take this one step at a time. Victor tossed him the fruit and Luke caught it. He held it to Nil's mouth as his eyeline matched up with the branch of the tree that Victor stood on. Normally, when you shove fruit in a child's face he may reject it, but Nil was accustomed to being fed and his body knew to take in the nourishment. He took one big bite from the fruit, nearly swallowing it whole, and suddenly collapsed to the ground like a bird whose wings were clipped in mid-flight.

If that was all he did, Luke wouldn't have been so worried. The convulsing seizures, rolling eyes, and foaming mouth did make him worry however.

"What have you done?" Luke growled at Victor.

"Nothing," Victor said. "Some people just like to hold on to their ignorance a bit longer than others."

Eventually Nil stabilized and he fell asleep. Luke exhaled not knowing he had held his breath for every second Nil shook. He wasn't the kid's brother or father, but he didn't want to return him dead to SGA. Sirius bent down next to Luke, the fruit Victor had tossed him was no longer in his hand. At least Sirius was smart enough not to eat it.

"I got him," Sirius said as he picked up Nil. "Let's get Alpha and get out of here before the gate closes."

Luke checked the hourglass watch the Dean had given him back at SGA. Their time was almost up. There was about a quarter-tank of sand left atop the top half of the hourglass. Time had flew by while they were in the garden.

That's when Luke heard another shuffle in the branches above. He knew no animal came this close to the tree so he wondered what was making the noise.

But when Luke looked up, he was too late. Alpha had turned himself visible again just in time for Luke to see him take a bite out of a piece of fruit and fall from the tree.