The Templar's Curse

by Sarwat Chadda

  Erin’s eyes widened. “Immortality? For real? Is that even possible?”

  “Yeah, and a lot more besides. But each path has its own unique dangers, and there is a high toll to travel it.” Billi refilled her cup from the teapot. “We believe that Reggie has found a way to cheat death, but he’s missing something. Something called the Vessel of the Anunnaki. We thought —”

  “Hold on, hold on. We? You and the Templars? How many of you are there? Am I expecting an army to smash down my door in an hour?”

  “Nine knights, a bunch of squires and we get help from… outside specialists,” said Billi. She’d come this far so she might as well take Erin all the way. “Faustus is one of those specialists. He’s working on translating the scrap book you slipped in my bag last time I was over.”

  “The scrap book?” Erin stared at Billi, looking confused, then she jerked back and nodded. “I gave it to you. I remember.”

  Do you? It didn’t seem like you did a second ago.

  Cut her a break, SanGreal. She’s just found out that demons exist, that her ancestor has sought to become an immortal and her new best friend belongs to an ancient order of knights.

  Erin rubbed her temples. “I wanted to talk to you about the book, but things were so busy with the others visiting I just popped it in your bag. I’m sorry. I was going to text you to explain. You seemed like you were interested, that’s all.”

  Billi felt lightheaded, unsure of how to put it into words, worried about how Erin might react, and what she might tell her. This was the ultimate betrayal. Billi closed her eyes but that only made it worse. “Reginald found some form of immortality, but he’s after this vessel. I don’t know why and hoped you’d be able to help. Your dad died trying to make sure he never got his hands on it.”

  “My dad? But he committed… you know what happened to him. How’s this all connected, Billi?”

  “I don’t know it all,” Billi admitted. “But those demons prove I’m right. Only Reggie could have summoned them.”

  Erin’s cup rattled as she put it on her saucer. She was shaking badly and couldn’t bear to meet Billi’s eyes. “This is all insane. I thought I was insane. So did everyone else.” Erin laughed bitterly. “Look at the medication she’s taking. Look at the type of hospitals where she’s been. Dad killed himself and the mum drank herself to death. Poor little rich girl.” Erin made a twisting gesture. “Lock her up and throw away the key.”

  Billi felt sick. Her head was swimming. She could feel Erin’s pain. They’d said similar things about her dad. That he’d killed her mum, that he beat Billi, how else had she got all the bruises? Her eyelids felt heavy, but she had to stick with Erin, show her she supported her, whatever way this went. She reached for her cup but her own hands were shaking. “Erin, you need to be honest with me. If you know anything else then please tell me so I can find a way to stop Reggie before he does anything…more.”

  “How can you stop him? You said he is immortal.”

  Billi thought about frail, ancient Lawrence. “Immortality has its limits.”

  Billi’s mobile phone buzzed. It was Faustus. “Sorry, I’ve just got to take this.”

  Erin stared at her cup, saying nothing.

  Billi got up. She felt unsteady but walked to the hall and took the call, leaning against the wall. “Faustus? What have you got?”

  “A lot. All of it bad. You have got to get away from Erin.”

  “I... she’s in a bad way. I can’t just leave her like this.”

  “She there?”

  Billi closed her eyes, trying to take control of the heavy pounding in her head. That fight had taken more out of her than she’d expected. “Other room.”

  “The Vessel of the Anunnaki isn’t a jar or pot or mug or anything like that. It’s a ritual. And it’s in Erin’s scrap book.”

  “What?” This was important but Billi could barely think straight. What was happening? Could it really be because of the fight? She pushed, or tried to, the fogginess away and concentrate. “Say that again, Fautus.”

  “The clue was in the title. The Vessel of the Anunnaki. Reggie couldn’t extend his life. But he found another way to live. He found a way to transfer his spirit, his soul into another. It’s all laid out in Erin’s scrap book.”

  “You can’t free your soul unless you die.”

  “And that’s exactly what he did. Lawrence did find Reggie’s body, life all gone. Lawrence burnt it and scattered Reggie’s ashes but it didn’t matter by then. Reggie had transferred his soul into another. Into his son, Edward,” said Faustus, sounding breathless with excitement and a little fear. “He’s survived through his descendants. Poor Edward had his father’s soul within him, both fighting for control. It was too much. So he killed himself. But that didn’t stop Reggie. He just hopped straight into Simon, his grandson. And when Simon couldn’t take it anymore and committed suicide —”

  “He moved into Erin. Oh God, Faustus. She’s had him in her mind all this time.”

  All those times Erin thought she was insane, that she was hearing voices, she was actually hearing her great-grandfather from inside of her, trying to take charge.

  “Get back here as fast as you can.”

  “But what about...” Billi swayed. The mobile dropped from her hand. She felt... disconnected. She could hear Faustus calling for her, but he sounded like he was down a deep, deep well...

  Why was her head pounding so hard? She could hardly focus, the floor began spinning. Erin stood there now, facing her, smiling. “What’s wrong, Billi?”

  Something. Something was wrong but her head was so fuzzy.

  Why was Erin smiling?

  Billi’s body felt as heavy as lead.

  Erin’s smile broadened. “Ah yes. It wasn’t sugar I added to your tea. Just ten milligrams of Erin’s favourite sleeping pill. It’s a little more than the recommended daily dose but you’re a big, tough girl, so I had to make sure.”

  Why was Erin referring to herself in the third person, as if she was someone else? “What are you doing?” The words were slurred and hard to push out through her heavy tongue.

  Erin tapped her own forehead. “I’m sorry, but Erin’s not home right now.”

  A shock of understanding briefly burst through the heavy drowsiness. “Reggie?”

  Erin nodded. “You were so, so close, Billi. We do pass ourselves down through our DNA. That is our immortality, written in cell structure and protein helixes. The ritual though allows me to transfer my spirit into my descendants. My son, then my grandson, and now my great-grand-daughter. Two souls sharing one body. It’s enough to drive you insane. It’s not ideal, but I’ll fix that problem shortly. Thanks to you.”

  “Me?”

  ‘Erin’ tapped her chest. “I’m tired of sharing. I’m about to free myself from this body and take over, and I do mean take over, another. One far better suited for my ambitions.”

  “Ivan,” muttered Billi. She was thinking so slowly, but Ivan was there, at the front of her thoughts. “You want to be a prince.”

  “Very good. While I’ll be the one in charge, I’ll still have access to his memories. I’ve done the transition a few times now and I do believe I’ve finally got the knack. Out with the old, in with the new.”

  “So Erin will be free? You’ll get out and leave her in peace?”

  “Ah, sadly no. The Anunnaki need feeding, Billi. This is their gift, after all. They’ll take her soul and will devour it slowly over eons. Frankly better her than me, don’t you think?”

  Billi swung forward, trying to land a punch, but the drug was flooding her system so all she managed was a feeble swing that dropped her onto her face. She lay on the cold, marble floor, her eyes closing.

  They’d got it so wrong. Reggie had been one step ahead from the very beginning. Erin would die and Reggie would become Ivan. Forever and ever and…

  CHAPTER 22

  Billi was floating, disconnected from herself.
Hard to focus. What was going on? Why did she feel this way?

  I’m Alice, falling down the rabbit hole. Taking a trip.

  Snakes slithered over her, trapping her in their coils. They hissed in her ear, whispering promises and warnings. The ancient Greeks believed snakes had the power of prophesy. What did they know? What were they trying to tell her?

  She bumped up and down. Rocked side to side. A dull, mechanical droning filled her ears, not the whispers of snakes. She tried to move but couldn’t. Not by herself. Her wrists were tightly tied behind her back, but with plastic cable ties, not snakes. Her feet the same. The air was stale and hot. The space claustrophobic.

  Her heavy eyelids ached and she struggled to open them.

  Billi lay on her side, in a rumbling box. How was she in a box? What was that smell? What was it?

  Exhaust fumes. Rubber. Damp earth rubbed against her cheek.

  Blinking hurt, her eyes hurt, but she had to open them.

  Bumped again. There was the sound of cars passing by.

  Eyes opened. They didn’t see much. That fog in her head wasn’t in a hurry to lift. It all worked so slowly. Thinking. Trying to make sense of why she was still alive.

  A car horn sounded from behind and she vibrated to a sudden revving.

  I’m in the boot of a car. A big car. Big enough to put a body in, and big enough to roll around in.

  Which car? Which?

  That Mercedes S-Class owned by Erin’s adoptive father. It had been parked outside the house.

  Billi pulled at her wrists again. No good. The thick plastic of the cable ties bit into her flesh, not giving her a millimetre of wriggle room.

  The glow from the rear lights illuminated the boot with a sombre red glow. Erin had removed her boots and there were a pair of cable ties around her ankles. Her jacket was gone, she was down to her tee-shirt and jeans. Erin had wanted to make sure she didn’t have any hidden weapons. Erin? No, Reggie.

  Should have seen that coming. You weren’t thinking. You were thinking like a normal person, not like an occultist. Not a black magician. The normal rules don’t apply.

  She lay, on her side, facing the back of the boot. Couldn’t be opened from inside, that she knew for definite. She, awkwardly, rolled over to face the front.

  The back of the rear seats. They were divided into three sections, each could be folded down to increase the boot space. She pushed her knees against the middle one. It remained as solid as a door. Billi kicked it in frustration. Come on!

  “Hey. Is our sleeping beauty awake? You’ve had a long snooze, Billi.”

  “Erin?” She was up front, driving. Billi shook the cotton wool out of her head. “Or should I say Reggie?”

  “Reggie’s fine. After all we are friends.”

  “I’m friends with Erin, not you.”

  “Oh? How do you know? When were you with Erin? When were you with me?” She laughed. “There are some advantages of being a teen girl, you know.”

  That was disgusting, and he knew it. He was looking for a reaction. To distract her with implications of what he had witnessed, taken part in. She’d deal with that later. Billi squirmed. There was a storage net by her head. Inside she could make out a can of de-icer spray and a scraper. Above that was the light, unlit when the boot lid was down.

  Keep him talking. Play his game. See how he likes it.

  “So this was the best you could manage? Piggy-backing your way through the years? How often do you get to… sit in the driver’s seat? And the rest of the time? You just watching Erin get on with her life? Having all the joy that comes with being alive, truly alive.”

  “I am alive, Billi.”

  “Alive the way a parasite is alive. Just sucking out what you can. A paltry kind of existence, if you ask me.”

  “No one asked you,” he snapped. “Remember who’s in the boot, my dear.”

  Billi smiled. “No, not a parasite. A leech. That’s the best way to describe what you are. A pathetic shrivelled thing that gets fat and bloated off others stronger than itself.”

  He laughed. “Erin? You think Erin’s strong? She’s a frightened little girl who I broke a long, long time ago. She’s a puppet now. I pull, she dances.”

  “She’s been fighting since the beginning, since you drove her dad to kill himself. You want her to break, but you know what I think? I think you’re frightened of her. That she is on the verge of finally being rid of you. What all this says to me is a desperate, last ditch attempt to hang on by your dirty fingernails.”

  “No one cares what you think.” But he was angry now, cracking. Billi decided to prod a little harder and see what might break through.

  “So what have you done with all those extra years, Reggie? Found the cure for cancer? Brought world peace? Learnt how to knit and garden? Surely with all this life you must have achieved something? Come on, don’t be modest. Tell me how rich your life is, what marvels you’ve beheld, peering through the eyes of others.”

  “Shut up. Shut up or I’ll —”

  “Don’t tell me it’s all been a waste, Reggie. Surely not. Or is that the problem? You spend all your time trying to extend your life, and forget to live it. Not like Erin. Look at what she’s done already. Look at the good she’s done. Kinda puts your century to shame, doesn’t it?” Billi got to work as she talked, as she taunted. The boot didn’t give her much space but she tucked her knees up to her chin and began wriggling her wrists down her back, under her bum… “Her friends love her. They’d do anything for her. That’s how life should be lived. Surrounded by love, by people who care for you, and you care for them. I’ve only been part of that for a short while but I’ve felt it. Erin’s very special and that’s because she’s suffered, and found the strength to come out the other side. Despite your attempts to break her. You try and try but she fights back. I think she’s gonna win and then where will you be? Is there a place in Hell waiting for you? I reckon there must be.”

  “She is not strong! She is a weak, pathetic little girl! I’m in charge and she is nothing without me!”

  Billi’s wrists slipped under her feet and suddenly she had her hands in front of her. She picked the ice scraper out. The edge might just cut through the plastic ties. Gripping it between her knees she began rubbing the wrist ties against its edge. “You’ve got that backwards. You’re nothing without her. That’s the life of a leech.” Billi laughed. “And you think you were one of the Ouroboros Society? The others must have laughed at your feeble attempts at immortality.”

  “There, girl, is where you know nothing. I was one of the select. Part of the inner circle.”

  She needed to keep him talking, distracted while she worked to free herself. “So what did you discover out there in the desert?”

  “Secrets. The secrets hidden from mortal eyes for almost five thousand years. I found the ritual called the Vessel of the Anunnaki.”

  “But there was something wrong with it, wasn’t there?”

  “Clever, clever girl. Yes. It’s a common problem with archaeology. You very rarely find anything it its complete and original state. The tablet with the ritual upon it was badly broken. I managed to assemble most of it. Enough to understand it allowed, at the moment of death, to transfer your soul into another’s body, a blood relative. Another vessel as it were. That’s how the ancient Mesopotamians viewed the body. A vessel that contained the immortal soul. It is the element of animation, of life.”

  She wasn’t getting anywhere with the scraper. She needed a sharper edge. Now her eyes were used to the darkness, she had a better look. There had to be something. “So you performed the ritual? Knowing you would violate the body of your own son? Is that the point you realised you were a sociopathic bastard?”

  “Morals matter little when dealing with the occult. I had tried my best to train Edward, but he was a disappointment as a boy, and a failure as a man. I preformed the ritual, and left my original body. It’s a terrifying thing, Billi, drif
ting on the seas of eternity. There are predators in those bottomless, dark depths.”

  “Then what? You landed in Edward’s body? How did he feel about it? Happy to share with his dear old dad, was he?”

  Reggie huffed with frustration. “That shouldn’t have happened. His soul was meant to have been devoured by the Anunnaki. I was meant to enter an empty vessel. I realised the ritual I’d performed was incomplete. We fought for years, but he was stubborn. In the end I realised the fight was futile, so I forced him to throw himself in the river and try my luck with Simon. But each transfer was harder than the last. My hold on Simon was tenuous and I was relegated to a shadow at the back of his mind, barely present at all.”

  “Then something happened during the Iraq War, didn’t it? Simon found something.”

  Reggie laughed. “Yes! Yes he did! He found a tablet with the complete, perfect ritual! Once performed it I would be able to push out the soul of the vessel I was entering! Feed it to my patrons, an offering, to the Anunnaki.”

  “But Simon guessed you were there, didn’t he? In the back of his mind?”

  Reggie didn’t answer. Billi wondered if she’d pushed him too hard. Then she heard him sigh. “Yes. He’d studied the old legends himself. I suppose by now it had become a family tradition. He also found letters written by his father, hinting at my presence. Simon was open-minded enough to recognise the truth of those letters, especially as they seemed to confirm his own issues. He realised he was not psychotic, the usual diagnosis when you hear strange voices in your head. He recognised the voice was mine. I sensed his growing resistance. He hid away the tablet, and arranged for his wife to destroy them. He did not trust himself to do it because he guessed, rightly, I would try and seize control. Then he killed himself, hoping to drag me down with him. I was lucky to escape, and joined with Erin when she was ten. The transfer was hard and I was exhausted.”

  “Poor you,” said Billi. “And so you didn’t realise Erin had taken rubbings of the tablet? That the ritual of the Vessel of the Anunnaki was in her scrap book?”