Chapter 9

Hail Mother Asherah! From the ashes of the fallen, I have come to seek Your grace and glory! My mother, please intercede on my behalf to Father. Your lord and husband has been Your companion and equal these millennium. Ask Him for His forgiveness. I still love and adore Inanna, but my love for You is just as strong and has no equal. Whatever I do, I will praise Your name until the end of Adamah. I would give my life for you to love me again, my fair queen of Heaven. Amen. 1734 P.D.

Before his eyes, his great empire now stretched from his homeland in Macedonia to India. Just as Aristotle said, the sea on the other side of Asia was just within reach. His former teacher knew well and did teach him just as well. Yet, his mind was filled with vast knowledge that Aristotle could only dream of. At this man’s side was his older sister, Cleopatra, and his favorite wife, Roxana. Together, his sister and him had defeated armies as great as the Persian army to the simple Samarian army. And, once he married Roxana, the three of them trenched through minor Asia, with little resistance.

King Alexandros of Macedonia stood at the shore that belonged to the Hong Bang. The three of them watched as the water withdrew from the sand. I watched as Cleopatra scooped it up and let in sift between her fingers to becarried by the wind.They all admired the new land, unaware that it was never to be theirs. They had left the army in India to keep control, hoping to catch a glimpse of the long-foretold sea. It was everything they dreamed of. Yet, this sea was nothing new to me. I couldn’t understand why they were as thrilled as they were. It was nothing but sand and water. It was the same body of water they experienced in Greece, though on different ends of the world.

It was never to be. Cleopatra had taken ill, so he decided to take his army back. So they traveled for months. About halfway back, she began to recover. Returning to Macedonia, she decided to remain there while she recovered from the long illness. I watched as she visited their illegitimate half-brother, who had been imprisoned by Cleopatra and Alexandros’ mother years before to end his claim to the throne. Like her mother, she agreed that Alexandros was indeed the rightful heir, despite not being the oldest son. The man was ill; he was unable to speak properly and reportedly foamed out the mouth when ill. He couldn’t function at times. At that, Cleopatra lifted his head. “Hello, brother. How are you feeling today?” Instead of responding, he simply looked out the window. I understood his plight; just as I was imprisoned and cast out for unfair reasons, he had a similar fate. He would never become king, and it was a well-established fact within Macedonia. Yet, part of the reason he was locked away instead of left alone as Cleopatra hoped, the queen regent of Macedonia was fearful of what he would do to her only daughter. After all, his kidnapping attempt against Cleopatra during her wedding was enough to send anyone over the edge. He had no idea that she was widowed, but that mattered very little at that point. “Arrhidaeus,” She said, softly. “Please answer me.” In his years of torment and imprisonment, the prince never spoke. And for years after, he refused to ever do so. Meanwhile, Alexandros and Roxana were visiting his general Ptolemy’s library at Alexandria. They had only recently found out she was pregnant, so they were awaiting the birth so they could reach his dream once more. Yet, it was never to be. In less than four months, Alexandros was infected. He fought for months, only to succumb to the deadly disease. He died; though his son with his first wife was alive at the time, he died less than six weeks later. The child

born to Roxana would live until shortly before reaching adulthood. He had only one child, who disappeared from history. Yet, I followed her for years: after all, she fled to Nazareth and married into the house of David. Years before, I watched as the scene of his father’s death unfolded. King Phillippos was dinning with his new wife. She was pregnant for the second time and he was excited to have a new son; a legitimate heir to the throne. Three years before, he had divorced Olympia and disowned Alexandros. He remarried and had Europa. It was then that the tide would turn. Olympia, who was still influential in Macedonia, had ordered the king’s assassination. For a moment, Phillippos was laughing away and touching his wife’s face. Then he drank from his goblet and placed it down on the table. For a moment, he carried on, unaware of the situation around him. Then, he started coughing and leaned forward. It was at that moment that I knew he was basically dead. I watched in horror as he choked on his own saliva before crashing to the ground. Guards filled the room, removing the poor woman. I could hear the cries of her infant daughter and I felt the blood in my veins boil. Following her screams, I made it to the room as they cut her throat. I prayed her soul would enterthe realm of my mother before I whispered to the guards that they would be punished for all eternity. The widow wastaken to Olympia. Cruelly, the former queen handed the dead infant to her mother. Once she began to cry, Olympia grabbed her face and spit in it. She then took a knife and did unspeakable things to the unborn child. The widow then was left on the floor to bleed out. Cleopatra and Alexandros returned to Macedonia from Epirus to find the mess their mother had left. Against their mother’s wishes, they gave the royal family a proper funeral.

... At Inanna’s request, I took on my true form. Leading her and Enoch to the world they wished to see, I showed her the gates of Heaven. Neither of them could believe it as the gates looked as beautiful as the sunset. Inanna wanted to stay, but I told her that they could never know about her. Instead, I told them about the levels of Heaven. Most other scholars would later dismiss my claim, but it was true. I resided in the lower levels, due to my position. Yet, each level wasn’t the way you would see levels. It was all on the same area of sphere, which was stretched out to eternity. It was something else entirely. The

divisions between each one was very different from what one would imagine. It depended entirely on what had been done on Adamah. Enoch recalled this many years later, and Inanna wrote it down.

I then took them to what was later called purgatory. The souls of those who were not evil enough to enter the realm of the unnamed, but were unable to enter the realm of my mother until later on. It was here that many of my descendants were locked away for all eternity. I was never allowed to see them, just as I could never see Inanna. How I longed for her. Yet, I could never see her.

Dear Mother: I place my soul in Your hands. I know I have done wrong. My love for You will go on, even though my punishment will never end.

End

About the Author

SAM ERNSTE was born in 2002 in Pennsylvania. A writer of fiction since childhood, Sam started attending Bridgewater College as a Professional Writing and Business Administration double-major in 2021. Sam is currently working on a fantasy novel and a mystery novel. Today, Sam lives in Virginia.