by Bo Luellen
Samuel floated up to him, “Well, yes, my boy. Did you think the magic stopped with ghosts and angels? This world has been ruled over by several pantheons, each residing until the end of their Aeon. Now you, Master Enfield, have the chance to turn the key that unlocks Cthulhu’s Herald, Imhotep.”
He gathered his breath and snarled, “Amanda Lanyon.”
Samuel nodded solemnly, “Indeed, Amanda Lanyon. She must be dealt with, but you still have a task to complete.”
Richard took a slow relaxing breath then asked, “I’ll contact the Edinburgh Sect in Scotland.”
The ghost gave a sly smile, “Master Enfield, you know as well as I do that the Crimson Brotherhood doesn’t keep lines of communication between Sect houses. It’s a tradition that has been held for centuries.”
He calmly walked around and sat his bare ass on the desk chair, picked up the phone and dialed Maxwell Gardener, “Those rules don’t apply to the chosen of Cthulhu. It’s time to bring the Sects together.”
Tulsa, Oklahoma – Friday, November 9th, 2018 – 9:12 p.m. CST
Richard Enfield had donned a black two-piece suit when he walked into the study where Shoshannah Feinstein was lounging on a red velvet couch. A young man sat on the floor and massaged her feet. When she noticed Richard, she pushed the 20-year-old away with her heel and shot up.
She glared, “I’ve been waiting for hours.”
Richard did his best to create an empathetic look, “I’m sorry, but it was unavoidable. Come, let’s not waste any more of that valuable time of yours.”
She trailed behind him and ordered, “Silvio, follow along.”
They worked their way down towards the basement of the mansion until they arrived at the servants’ kitchen. Richard ordered the staff out of the area and stood next to the freezer. She eyed him suspiciously as he opened the metal door and invited her inside.
She tilted her head, “You first, Master Enfield.”
He shrugged and led them inside the cold storage locker. Closing the door behind them, Richard took a bolt from the wall and shoved it into the handle, locking them inside. He walked past her to the back of the frozen room and opened a panel on the wall. After inputting a series of numbers, a six-foot door popped free of the ice that had formed around its seal, and warm vapor poured from the crack. With a shove, he pushed the thick metal door open to reveal a twenty-foot circular arcane lab that looked a prop setting for an old Dracula movie.
Richard led them inside and closed the door back, “Samuel told me having cold storage was always convenient for the kind of work he did here.”
She raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think your cooks would like having fresh cadavers next to the chicken.”
Shoshannah ran her fingers over the mystical etchings that filled the chamber’s smooth walls. She gazed up at the ceiling’s strange pattern and the metal rafters and support beams. Lining the walls were rows of antique torture devices and shelves that contain an odd assortment of arcane ingredients.
Shoshannah walked over to a triangular contraption, “A Judas Cradle.”
Richard leaned on the table, “I’ll take your word on that. I can’t make heads or tails of most of these damn things.”
She looked up and pointed at a rope and pully that dangled overhead, “It’s a simplistically clever item. The victim was dropped onto their anus or vagina from a height onto the top.”
Richard grimaced, “That sounds lovely.”
She ran her finger over the blood soaked point, “I’ve heard grisly tales of this home’s former owner, Samuel Howard. Not someone to be trifled with. Yet, I hear you killed him and inherited his power and money. It’s no wonder such a clever man ascended to Sect Master. You must have fate on your side, or you would have been the next Judas waiting his turn at cradle.”
Samuel floated in through the back wall, “More so a Judas goat, my dear.”
Feinstein looked up at the ghost and gave a grin, “The Samuel Howard! It’s an honor to finally make your acquaintance. I wish I had the opportunity to have met you in person when you were alive.”
“Who are you talking to?” asked Richard.
Shoshannah picked up the bone saw and examined the blood splatters on its blade, “Why that dashing man who is floating next to you.”
The ghost put his right hand over his heart and gave a slight bow, “My dear, you flatter me. I’m old enough to be your father.”
She dropped the saw on the table with a loud clank, “Hardly.”
Richard snapped into the realization that she was speaking to the ghost. He stabbed a finger at the spirit, “How can you see him?”
Samuel sauntered over to their guest, “Ms. Feinstein’s soul has passed over and returned in a rather unique fashion. Because of that, she sees the dead and can determine their strength of spirit. Something she calls, soul sight.”
She leaned on the table behind her sneering, “Now I’m flattered. How is it you know that?”
The ghost gave a fake look of indignation, “Come now, do you think I would involve myself with someone without first finding out all I could?”
Shoshannah leaned her back against Silvio, “I’m guessing that intrusion includes sending your flunkies to my private residence?”
Richard locked his jaw and forced an apology, “Again, we regret our indelicate approach, but time is of the essence.”
She rolled her eyes, “Whatever. Here’s the golem you ordered. His soul is pure and bright. A perfect match for your captured angel.”
Richard walked over and examined Silvio, “Excellent! Well done!”
Samuel joined his former Apprentice in examining the golem, “We will still need you to convince Mr. Silvio to accept Miniel for this to work.”
She reached back and drew the palm of her hand across his chiseled chin, “My dear, I want you to do me a special favor. These men are going to put that knife into your heart and bless you with incredible power. It won’t hurt, I promise you.”
Silvio looked confused, “They’re going to stab me?”
She turned and pushed her breasts against his chest, “Now listen carefully, you will heal and feel no pain. When they are done, there will be an angel of God in your head named Miniel. She is divine being on a mission from God and needs someone like you to be there for her.”
He kissed her hand, “An angel needs my help? I would be serving God?”
Shoshannah unbuttoned his shirt and ran her fingers in his chest hair, “I won’t feel betrayed when you love her and accept her.”
Silvio’s face registered excitement, “I’ve always been a good Catholic.”
She pulled his shirt out of his pants, exposing his washboard abs, “Of course you have, Love. Will you do this for me?”
He nodded with love in his eyes, “Yes. I’d do anything for you… and God, of course.”
She kissed him on the lips, “Of course.”
Samuel turned to Richard, “Very good, Ms. Feinstein. Now comes my part.”
Richard produced the Athame Dagger from his pocket. It still had the dried blood on it from where it had been plunged into the possessed High Mage, Benjamin Walsh. The symbol of Cthulhu in the handle glowed faintly, indicating that its binding power over Miniel was weakening.
Samuel ran his hand over the blade and cast a spell, “Cum Defunctis Loquimur.”
The ghost’s eyes fluttered, and his head tilted back. The spirit was solid enough that Richard thought he could feel his semi-transparent hand actually leaning on the dagger. For several minutes, Samuel’s mouth gently moved, and he softly communed with the entity trapped in the blade.
Suddenly, the ghost’s eyes snapped open, and he staggered back, as Richard asked, “Well?”
Samuel seemed to fade from sight for a moment before reconstituting, “She is a powerful and ancient force. A warrior whose vengeance and obsession for Hyde’s love has driven her mad.”
Richard stepped closer in frustration, “Damnit, man! Will she do it?”
Samuel composed himself, “She is overwhelmed by our offer. The angel knows that Hyde has transformed into a Nephilim, and is outside of the reach of the Order of Virtue. She has agreed to be a willing soldier to our cause and will bond with our Mr. Silvio to become a Nephilim herself. Her only stipulation is that we not get in the way of her vengeance when she faces Hyde in his new form.”
Richard grinned, flipped the blade to an underhand grip, and exclaimed, “Done!”
He turned to Silvio and prepared to make his stroke. Shoshannah drew a hand over her golem’s face, gave a departing wink, then stepped back out of the way. The re-animated Italian kept his eyes on his love, and pulled open the black dress shirt. A small tear fell from his eye as he stood fast.
Richard lifted the knife, “For Cthulhu’s awakening!”
Before he could act, a crack of air burst behind the young golem. The thick-bodied Marcus Holmes snapped into existence, wearing pure black and a fiendish smile. His eyes were a golden sheen, and his fangs were fully extended. Thick yellow saliva dripped from his open mouth, and a low growl came from the depths of his barrel chest.
Before Richard’s heart could beat, the vampire gripped Silvio’s head with both hands and snapped the golem’s neck 90 degrees to the left. Shoshannah roared in anger, as the vampire reversed the torque and ripped the head free from its owner’s broad shoulders. The lifeless body of the golem dropped to the ground, and the beautiful face spasmed, as his soul slipped back where it came from.
Marcus stood resolutely with a splash of blood across his bearded face, as he demanded “Hand the Athame to me, and I shall let you live, Master Enfield.”
With a primal scream, Shoshannah charged Marcus, grabbing him by the throat. She pushed him backward, as his eyes widened in surprise at the incredible strength of the slight woman. The vampire’s feet slid on the concrete floor, while he clawed at her forearms. The slashes sunk into her flesh and splashed blood in a wild frenzy. Just before they reached the stone wall of the chamber, he turned his weight and tossed her into the air. Her body hit the secret door with such force that it folded the metal entrance, knocking it from its hinges. Shoshannah tumbled into the cooler and crashed into a rack of frozen meat. The re-animated woman lay unmoving, and pinned under the twisted steel. She was bleeding from her arms and puffs of vapor billowed out of her unconscious face.
Marcus whipped his head back towards Richard, who commanded, “Samuel do something!”
The ghost floated motionless and calm, “This is not my fight.”
Marcus hissed, “Don’t count on help from your ghost. Samuel is quite powerless. There are some universal constants in the world of vampires. One is the sunlight, and the other is if you invite one into your home, then you give up all power over them. When your servant girl invited Shoshannah in, I rode on her shoulder as a firefly. It’s too bad she wasn’t more specific with her offer. It’s a useful trick. One of many. I used a similar one when I rode on Amanda Lanyon’s shoulder. She escorted me inside her home. I do hope you will be more level headed than she was.”
Richard gave a look of acknowledgment, “Ah, so it’s you that has her children.”
Marcus tapped his own nose, “Very, astute! My coven has them tucked away in exchange for her silence in matters of the Crimson Brotherhood.”
Richard cradled the Athame, “I’m the new Master of the Sect, not Miniel. If you truly serve Cthulhu, you would be wise to realize my authority!”
The vampire straightened himself up and appeared more dignified, “I must confess, I couldn’t help myself from exploring your lovely mansion in my insect form. I managed to overhear your conversation about needing Amanda Lanyon. How odd, I have the two people that could draw her out of hiding. It seems I have something you want, and you have something I want. So, let’s keep this clean and make a trade.”
Suddenly, the vampire was snatched off the ground by his right calf and shoulder, as Samuel coolly continued, “This isn’t my fight. It’s hers.”
Shoshannah was shaking with anger as she stood under Marcus with fury in her eyes. The wounds on her forearms were fully healed, and her black blouse was hanging in tatters from her shoulders. A thin gloss of sweat shimmered from her newly enhanced frame. Richard surmised she had thirty more pounds of muscle than he had remembered before she was tossed through the steel door.
The sounds of cracking bone came from Marcus’s hip as she twisted his leg in a circle. The vampire let out a growl as she hurled him at the wall next to the Judas Cradle. The vampire slammed face-first against the stone and clung onto it like a spider. He stepped down with his good leg, and let the mangled one hang chaotically to his side. The broken limb snapped and scurried until it was once again in proper alignment. The undead black man set the foot down, with a final pop of his hip as it was put back into place.
Marcus crouched on the ground and spit a viscous slime, as he hissed at his opponent. Shoshannah charged the Vampire Lord in a blinding flash of speed. Her hands pushed on his shoulders and slammed the creature of darkness against the stone. The sheer force of the impact caused the room to tremble and let loose dust from the rafters.
Marcus clawed her eyes, making her stagger backward and release the pin. Dark red blood flowed out of her face, and the vampire shot two stiff punches to her body. She reeled and grunted as she absorbed a kick to her midsection.
With a growl, he launched a punch at her jaw. Her eyes flashed up to his, and she caught his wrist in mid-flight. To Richard’s astonishment, her eyes had healed completely. He struggled to retrieve his hand and whipped his other taloned fingers at her throat. With the same speed, she snatched it just as effortlessly and held him. The two monsters struggled to overcome each other. They danced in a circle, knocking over furniture and racks of spell components.
The two combatants settled in the center of the room, matching each other’s ferocity. Shoshannah’s grip on Marcus’ arms was holding, but the Vampire Lord was proving to be stronger. An evil grin crawled across his face, as his deadly fingernails moved towards her neck.
As the black talons touched her, her hide changed complexion and texture. Shoshannah’s back and biceps grew denser, and the woman’s skin became as thick as rhinoceros hide. She stood up straight and moved his hands away from her throat. The vampire wailed in pain, as her iron grip crushed his left wrists. He hit his knees in agony and stared at her with astonishment. Shoshannah bent her face down to his and let out a spiteful hiss.
With a quick motion, the woman let go of his broken arm and drove a punch into his side that penetrated his undead body. Her arm disappeared up into his belly and ripped out several organs. Shoshannah dropped the tissue to the ground, and they instantly turned to a pile of loose dirt. Marcus wailed in pain as she delivered an uppercut to the vampire’s armpit. The walls splashed with his blood, as the arm came away from his body at the shoulder. In an instant, the liquid transformed into soil and fell to the floor.
The undead gripped her shoulder with his remaining hand and stammered, “T-this is impossible. W-what are you?”
She grabbed him by the throat, and effortlessly picked him up off the ground. With a swift pivot, she slammed his back on top of the point of the Judas Cradle. The impaled vampire hung in space and stared in shock at the ceiling of the arcane chamber. Blood dribbled down the wooden frame of the contraption and tumbled to piles of earth at its base.
His eyes magically turned a solid yellow, “My Violet, I love you. Hear me! Gather the children and…”
Shoshannah slammed an iron fist across his lower jaw and sent the bottom part of his face dancing across the floor. The tongue of the vampire wiggled in the air as his eyes fluttered in shock. The re-animated miracle-woman retrieved the rounded bone saw from the table and put it across Marcus’s neck. She latched onto his chest with her left hand and spun him in a circle on the Judas device. She reveled in his agony while turning him like a top until his head was in the perfect position for the saw. She lay the blade across his dirt-cov
ered neck and grasped him by his thick black hair.
Shoshannah turned his jawless face towards her, and looked deep into his bewildered eyes, “I’ve dealt with your kind before. You are intimately connected to your offspring and, of course, your mate. I’m guessing that Violet is your wife, and you are in mental contact with her right now. Far be it from me to interrupt.”
With each slicing motion of the bone saw across his neck, she bellowed, “Tell your bitch whore... that Shoshannah Feinstein... sent her beloved... back to hell!”
On her last word, the head of Marcus hit the floor with a dull plop. A second later, over two-hundred pounds of earth that was once the vampire slammed to the ground. The bits of his hair that still clung in between her fingers followed suit and crumbled from her hand. Shoshannah dropped the bone saw to the ground, and Richard jumped when the metal clanked on the stone. She turned back to her host and brushed her curly black hair away from her face. Her left breast was exposed, as she looked down at her torn and bloody clothes, then let out a sigh.
Richard crept his way out from behind a table, “Is it… dead?”
Samuel floated over to the pile of dirt, “Well, technically, he was already dead.”
Richard found his courage, “Traitor! He was a Leviathan dedicated to my protection! I never knew he was a…”
Samuel sauntered next to him, “A vampire? I’m shocked your keen magical senses didn’t alert you to that fact. Ms. Feinstein, Master Enfield doesn’t know how to thank you.”
She looked at a broken nail on her left hand, “Try money, lots of it. Because all of this shit was definitely not my problem. My part here is done.”
As she turned to walk out, Richard looked over at the destroyed body of Silvio, “We will need you to make a replacement golem.”
She looked up with annoyance, “Fuck all you do! I delivered as promised and made him willing. I’m out! Consider the vampire slaying a parting gift!”
Samuel walked in front of her, “My dear, this has all been tragically unexpected. I can appreciate your position. We certainly don’t want to put you out, but at least give us a chance to make this right. If you do this for Master Enfield, we could offer a sum that would guarantee a lifetime’s worth of comforts as well as the protection of the Clerval family. Would five million be too terribly insulting to offer?”
