In Adam all die: Regent, #2

By Clint Fortuin

A powerful manipulator of real magic, as perceived by many people and cultures, so not the Hollywood variety, has captured new acolytes who have abilities similar to hers, for the sole purpose of world domination. The witch has experimented with various methods in the past, but has finally discovered the most effective way of achieving her goal – people must give up their rights willingly.

She, being savvy enough to utilise modern science, commissions the development of an effective strain of Novel Corona virus to force some governments into implementing national lockdowns. The majority of presidents and prime ministers impose these lockdowns as commanded. This has the effect of having people accept curtailing of their rights whilst new laws can be passed unnoticed giving said governments extraordinary powers. World leaders who are not part of her cabal, have been promised great wealth and freedom to do whatever they want in the new world order.

Her followers, comprised of mean-spirited people, have been promised the same freedoms and more.

The only person capable of stopping her, the Regent, has been cast into a world of turmoil and doubt brought about by the loss of his apprentice, who has defected, and a damning revelation from none other than the devil himself.  

The book also sees the emergence of the old gods in a most unexpected way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Clint Fortuin
• Release date: Jul 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223386353

Book preview

Clint Fortuin

In Adam All Die

Regent series

Son of Adam

In the middle of difficulty, lies opportunity – Albert Einstein

It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma – Winston Churchill

Author’s note

Any similarity of my characters to actual persons, whether living or dead, companies, organizations or entities and events, is purely coincidental.

The opinions expressed by the characters in this series is not necessarily that of the author.

Chapter 1

These talking monkeys are so greedy, moaned Ashira Goldberg. The people of this country are always wanting money, but they’re so lazy. I hate them.

They’re not all so bad ima, replied Ezra slowly while turning the page of a business newspaper. "Some of them are quite decent. There are good ones."

Don’t be such a naïve fool, screeched his mother impatiently. She further indicated her displeasure by setting her porcelain cup down into its saucer with a little more vigour than needed. 

Calm down mother, said Ezra with a playful smile. He quite enjoyed needling his mother’s prejudices. You know I only pretend to like them when they’re good workers. Keeps them motivated. Now, about these black government officials who’ll be paying us a visit this afternoon...

Don’t worry about them my son. They’re all stupid. This whole country is going down the tubes. Black people cannot govern. They are meant to be ruled. Ashira pursed her thin lips as she enjoyed memories of a time gone by when white rule in South Africa was absolute. The other races provided cheap manual labour and was easily replaceable. The Goldberg’s arrived in South Africa during this golden era with nothing except the clothes they were wearing. With hard work (and a small loan of five million) they built a successful business. Companies that would have failed elsewhere in the world thrived in Apartheid South Africa. How could it not? You could work men into early graves for peanuts, and then just get some more. The non-white population was kept uneducated and poor so that they remained dependent on their gracious employers and government. Many great companies and nations worldwide were built on the dominion of one race, usually white, over another. Apartheid South Africa went a little further. It not only legalised parliamentary dictatorship, but also convinced the world for many years that nothing was wrong in the country. In fact, by use of propaganda that would have had the Goebbels stamp of approval, the natives were portrayed as being happy and prosperous. Ashira was not the only one who wished Apartheid had never ended.

The new government was implementing an unfair policy called Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) where companies were rated on a points system. Points were credited for black shareholding, number of black people in senior positions, percentage of procurement from black owned enterprises, and so on. All South African companies publicly supported this ideal, but secretly they banded together to frustrate and obfuscate any attempt to dislodge them from real power. Just like any criminal who circumvents the latest security systems, they sought to find the loopholes with smokescreen BEE offers to remain in economic power. Many employees were proud to own shares in Goldberg Aluminium, except that it wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. The share scheme created the impression that the company was complying with the BEE laws without actually paying any dividends to holders of Ordinary shares. Many employees were reported to have received specialised training at Company expense in exchange for points in the BEE system. Some were reported to hold junior and middle management positions. All fabricated. The Goldberg’s were laughing all the way to the banks in South Africa, Israel, Switzerland and South America.

But all good things must sadly come to an end. Somehow the officials found out about the various nefarious tricks used at Goldberg Aluminium, Goldberg Steel and Zone Glass. Two of the three companies were staring at a mild fine and the other was still being investigated. Paying the fine would be easy. Pocket change in fact, but the Goldberg’s hated losing any money. So, they thought and thought. Eventually they found a scapegoat. The one person who, aside from the family, who was a common denominator. Their faithful servant nick-named by the workers as ‘the terminator’, but whose title was Human Resources manager – Miss Janet Heatherstone.

Poor boyish Janet with the short haircut and two-piece suits would carry the sole responsibility and blame for the non-compliance of the entire Group of Companies. Satisfying all legal requirements pertaining to BEE was part of her job, after all. Janet Heatherstone would, after many years of gleefully finding creative ways to fire so many people, find herself on the other side of the table. Her brown-nosing came to an abrupt end.

And so Ashira Goldberg convinced the government officials that she, her husband and her son, knew nothing about the failure of their companies with regards BEE. Their trustworthy HR manager had assured them of full compliance. They enjoyed tea, out of elegant porcelain cups that had been purchased the day before, and canapés.

The penalty fine went away and so did Janet Heatherstone.

Ashira threw the cups away seconds after the officials left and washed her hands vigorously.

Ezra didn’t miss his mother. Not even one iota. He missed her conniving ways, her ingenious solutions, her devious schemes that made them more and more money, often at the expense of others. But he was glad she was dead. If only his senile old father would kick the bucket too. Then he would have no-one to answer to.

Chapter 2

Nalyak’s European operation was right on schedule. She and her new apprentice, Kyle Collins, were convened in Rome, the eternal city, with six heads of her international coven to assess their performance on implementing her strategies in Europe, Asia, North and South America. The city of Rome held a special place in Nalyak’s heart. She had spent the best years of her long life in this city. She had seen the rise and fall of many Emperors, witnessed such treachery as to make her heart flutter and endured the disappointments of human shortcomings. She often relived these scenes when walking the streets of Rome. She would see, hear and smell the Rome of yore in the narrowest streets. She dreamt of making Rome her Capitol and Ezra her Caesar. Kyle would play the role of a young Mark Antony.

Of all the countries influenced, the United States proved the easiest by far. Those people were so gullible, fearful and weak. Easily divided.

Canada, however, was proving to be more difficult. Nalyak was not happy at all. The Plan was contingent on increasing negativity on all levels of government, the private sector and the general public in First World countries and states rich in natural resources. Negativity in the mainstream would naturally lead to heightened prejudices such as racism and fascism. This, in turn, would pave the way for conservative nationalism and centralised control of the civilised world. It sounds so simple, but it has taken many years of careful planning to get this far and Canadians were not co-operating.

Russia was, after decades of communism, conditioned to obeying authority and would not pose any serious challenge.

African countries could be easily captured through bribery and corruption. The individuals voted into power seemed to believe that they were kings and queens of bygone days. They believed themselves, and the friends and family, entitled to all the wealth their respective countries possessed. The people, who were mostly impoverished and uneducated, appeared to wholeheartedly support this ridiculous notion. They trapped themselves into believing their presidents and prime ministers were chieftains deserving of the same subservience accorded to Chaka and other paramount chiefs of the good old days. Theft of public funds and looting of State resources was not a crime in the eyes of the people, it was perceived as the president’s right.

The insertion of divisive politicians was well under way in European countries. Nalyak had a particular affinity for the Italian president, Claudio Salvatori, whose vision was nationalist bordering on neo-fascism. Full scale fascism was just a few whispers away. Soon all of Europe would be ruled by hard-liners loyal to Nalyak, whether they knew it or not.

What is this boy doing here at our convention? ventured a witch from one of the Americas.

My thoughts exactly, seconded another. None of your previous apprentices were allowed. What makes this one so special?

There was a chorus of murmurs filling the small auditorium. The coven representatives were not happy and, quite unexpectedly, expressed this emotion. Nalyak would, of course, not have any of it. This was tantamount to an uprising of some sort. She had made all of these witches, given them powers unheard of before, and she could destroy them all. Surely, they remembered the fate of the last area leader who defied her. She had gambled that her position in society as a Countess was some sort of added protection. She further wagered that Nalyak needed her influence and significant family connections. And so, Countess Elizabeth Bathory de Ecsed and some members of her coven proceeded to ritually murder hundreds of young girls in order to steal their youth. She had discovered that Nalyak could not guarantee her immortality and took matters into her own hands. Nalyak, in the guise of a servant girl named Susannah, exposed the crimes and claimed she had seen a figure of six hundred and fifty in a book kept by one of the collaborators. The book was never produced, but people back then were just as gullible as people today. The only thing that kept the Countess from a trial and a hanging was her significant family connections, but she was locked away in a windowless room until her death. And now Nalyak’s blood was boiling again, but she, and they, knew that killing any one of them would set her plan, now nearing fruition, back by at least fifteen years.

She restrained herself and motioned them to calm down and be silent. I have for many decades and centuries searched the world over for the Son of Adam. You all know this. I had thought that I had found him in the useful idiot Adolf, but he didn’t have the mental strength required. This boy, she said pointing a slender finger at Kyle, is the genuine article. It has been revealed to me just as you were revealed to me.

But you said Ezra Goldberg was the Son of Adam, chirped the witch from China. You were certain.

It’s complicated, answered a surly Nalyak. I’ll try and make it simple for you. Ezra and Kyle are of the same ancient bloodline which they share with a few others, but this unbaptised boy is the purest I have ever seen. I have deduced that his grandparents must’ve escaped from Nazi Germany by changing their surname from Cohen to Collins and ended up in far off South Africa. They might as well have moved to the moon. Be that as it may, with him by our side we can confidently accelerate our plan for world subjugation by up to five years!

This optimistic announcement drew the favourable exclamations Nalyak had hoped for. All eyes turned to Kyle. This time with warm welcome.

The remainder of the conference turned briefly to the situation in South America, specifically the need to destroy as much of the rain forests as possible and other details and was long and boring.

––––––––

Although Marcus Tullius Cicero was the youngest Consul (chief magistrate who presides over the Senate) elected to office in the history of Rome, he also accumulated the one constant that comes with success – enemies. The other aspect that made his rise to power unusual was the fact that he was not born of a noble (patrician) family. Cicero relied on his uncanny wit and exceptional oratory ability to earn his place amongst the most influential people in the Roman world. He could easily have ruled the Roman republic alongside his ally and protector, General Pompey the Great, who had offered him this option. This veteran commander was credited with many triumphs for Rome, including the suppression of the slave rebellion under Spartacus. His glorious reputation had only one competitor – Crassus, the richest man in Rome. Great wealth is often built on corruption, collusion, theft, unscrupulousness and other character traits that are covered by the veneer of sophistication, education and philanthropy. Crassus owned the fire brigade of Rome. His team would often arrive at the scene of a fire and refuse to put it out until payment is received from the owner. If no payment was forthcoming, then they would let the building burn down and Crassus would later buy it at rock bottom prices. There was an unsubstantiated rumour that his people were often responsible for the fires in the first place. 

Both these powerful men desired the same thing which led to inevitable conflict.  That most desirous objective, the total