by J. R. Rain
I nodded. Kingsley was in court today. A big case. He had set off for home in the wee hours of the morning, after sitting by my side all night, holding my hand. He was dealing with his own guilt for letting Tammy slip past him. I reminded him that my daughter wasn’t just anyone, and she probably could have put any of us to sleep with her power of suggestion. My daughter’s own mental prowess, I feared, was growing. And now, the devil had access to it.
I said to Allison, “Can you give us a shield?”
“I can,” said Allison, “but it weakens in minutes. Or, rather, she finds a way through it within minutes.”
“Good enough,” I said.
Allison nodded, closed her eyes and raised her hands a little, palms up. And, son-of-a-bitch, if the air around us didn’t suddenly shimmer, like heat rising up from an oasis. But in this case, I knew it was a bubble of silence that surrounded us—and kept out the sound too. She and I might as well have been in a soundproof studio.
“Even better,” she said, picking up my thoughts. “What’s on your mind?”
“The devil has his claws in my daughter.”
“They’re connected,” said Allie.
I knew it wasn’t possession, but it was damn near close. Their mindlink gave him access to her and, according to my daughter, he didn’t need to be close by. He could use a chain of shadowy entities to reach her, from anywhere. To whisper suggestions to her. In essence, my daughter would never be free of the devil.
“And I can’t have that,” I said, finishing my thought with words, knowing Allison would have been following along.
“But, Sam. She made a deal with the devil. Isn’t that the same as selling your soul?”
I shook my head. “Selling one’s soul is just that: offering one’s soul in exchange for a favor.”
“She offered her services in exchange for your protection.”
“Yes, but not her soul.”
“No, but she offered her mind.”
Something clenched my gut.
“But how binding is it?” asked Allison. “I mean, she’s only sixteen, and he scared her into doing it.”
“I don’t know,” I said. “I could give a shit if it’s binding.”
Allie was silent, even if Judge Judy wasn’t. Allie was up to her old self, and I just wanted to sink into the couch and forget the devil had ever come knocking—and somehow forget, too, that Anthony’s underwear needed washing. His boxers were in the laundry room in the garage, looking like the world’s most dangerous intersection, skid marks and all.
“Gross, Sam,” said Allie.
“You don’t have to listen to everything.”
“That went south faster than I could pull out of your head. He’s old enough to do his own laundry now, you know.”
I nodded. He was. But was I ready to admit he was? I liked having a little boy to take care of.
Allie said, “And do you really need protecting? Are the dark masters really hunting you?”
“I don’t know,” I said. It didn’t ring true to me. If anything, I was getting along better than ever with Elizabeth. Granted, we weren’t besties, but I didn’t have a strong sense that she was trying to take over my body. And if she was, she was keeping it to herself. Unfortunately, I couldn’t read her mind, although she could read the hell out of mine, which I didn’t think was very fair, but I didn’t make the rules. Kingsley had once had suggested that maybe her own mind might reside in the Void, that parallel world they’d been banished to. That what I was sensing was only an aspect of her, a fragment. I didn’t know, and I never asked. Other than me keeping her sealed away in the deepest reaches of my mind, I wasn’t aware of any animosity. I always knew that my resistance to her had slowed the dark masters’ plans. Hell, maybe even ground them to a halt. So, yeah, it did make sense for them to someday give up on me. Unfortunately for them, I didn’t plan on dying anytime soon.
I shook my head at the craziness of it all. Just over a decade ago, my life had been normal, happy, safe, secure... peaceful. Now, I didn’t know what to make of it.
“Sam,” said Allison, interrupting my pity party. “Have you ever considered the fact that you knew you were going to be turned into a vampire in this life, that you knew you were going to host a key dark master?”
“Where’s this coming from?”
“I’m just thinking out loud. I’d read that before our births, we sort of knew what we were getting into, that we had been given a glimpse of our future lives.”
“What are you getting at?”
She turned to me, tucking her sock-clad feet under her. “I think you knew all of this was going to happen, and you accepted it.”
“Accepted what, exactly?”
“The responsibility of protecting everyone. Sam, think about it. If you knew that you were going to be a vampire—and potentially host one of the most powerful of the dark masters—then you did so willingly.”
“What are you saying?”
“Yes, your life was normal a while ago, but there was a greater evil on the horizon, an evil that desperately wants back into this world. You, and you alone, have kept it at bay. And you accepted the responsibility. Sam, you are the gatekeeper. This is a challenge that you willingly took on.”
“I didn’t willingly ask to be attacked, Allie,” I said.
“No, but you knew you would, at the soul level. And you came here anyway. You accepted the assignment, so to speak.”
“What are you saying?” I asked.
“You knew you were tough enough to handle them. And you are tough enough to handle them now.”
I considered her words, then recalled what my daughter had told me last. “The devil said there was only enough room for one sheriff in town. What did he mean?”
“Maybe he sees the dark masters as a threat?”
“But I thought the bastard liked when people wreaked havoc in the world. And the dark masters have wreaked the most havoc of all.”
“What if he meant there was only enough room for one ultimate evil? After all, what if the world began to fear the dark masters, and not him? Wouldn’t he lose relevance?”
I knew a lot of the devil’s existence was predicated on people’s belief in him. Part of that belief was a belief in hell itself, of which the devil was intricately a part.
“I don’t know,” I said.
“Then who could be the ‘other sheriff’ he’s worried about?”
“I don’t know that either,” I said.
I knew that something had to give here. The devil had caused Danny to flee and hide in my son. True, the devil had helped my son—with an implied favor owed. He had mind-linked with my daughter—and then blackmailed her to make a pact with him. The devil had sowed seeds of hate and destruction the world over, for centuries, if not millenniums. The devil, as far as I was concerned, had to go.
“Go, how?” asked Allison.
“I don’t know,” I said. “But first things first. I need to speak to Elizabeth.”
Chapter Five
I was in my home office at the back of the house, sitting in what I had once thought was a fairly comfortable recliner, until I was informed recently by Allison that it was, in fact, a Spirit Chair. Funny, the guys at La-Z-Boy never mentioned that.
It sat in the far corner of my office, with my sliding glass door on one side, a bookcase on the other, and a little catch-all table next to it, which was piled with more books, empty coffee cups, and a water bottle or three. Yes, I cleaned the table before any clients came by. I hadn’t had a client in a week. In fact, Charlie Reed had been my last official client.
Now, with Allison resuming Judge Judy, and with my daughter presumably asleep in her bedroom, I got comfortable in the recliner and closed my eyes. Sure, both Allie and Tammy could undoubtedly read my thoughts, and I wasn’t receiving anything close to privacy, the truth of the matter was, they were going to hear about my conversation with Elizabeth anyway. Truth was, my brain was open season for both of them. And the Alchemist, for
that matter. Oh, and Elizabeth.
I sighed and got even more comfortable, burrowing my ass deeper into the seat cushion. My overhead fan was on, whirring just loud enough to give me the background noise I needed to drown out Allie, and to drown out Anthony, who was laughing at whatever show he was watching, and occasionally slapping the floor as he was wont to do. Meditating in a house full of kids—and your friendly neighborhood witch—was never going to be truly quiet. I settled for peaceful.
I took some deep breaths, and mentally prepared myself for what was to come. Bringing forward the entity within me wasn’t a hard thing to do. I didn’t need the kind of concentration I needed for automatic writing, or having an inner dialogue with Gaia, the Earth Mother. No, Elizabeth was always there, always waiting.
And she came forth eagerly. Hell, the moment I thought her name, I felt her surging up from the depths, racing through the various roadblocks that I’d put in place to keep her down, and now, here she was, in the center of my thoughts, front and center.
Good afternoon, Sssamantha Moon, she said, hissing slightly. Why she hissed, I didn’t know. But they all did it. I suspected it was meant to disarm and alarm, to cause confusion and fear.
You know us well, Sssamantha.
Well, just cool it. You and I have been at this for a while. You can’t scare me.
Not true.
I thought about that, then nodded. Indeed, letting her out did scare me. Terrified me, even. I did not want to be relegated to the shadows. I did not want to lose control of myself, and give her any control. Which brought me back to my question.
Talk to me about the plot against me.
There was a small pause before her words came to me. There is no plot against you, Moon Dance.
Oddly enough, I believed her. In fact, I felt the truth of her words. Generally, I thought of her as a wispy, shadowy, formless, thoughtless being. A waif, a shade. A non-human entity. I even thought of her as a demon at times. All of which made little sense; after all, I spoke often to her very own son, Archibald Maximus. I mean, I knew she was a mother. Or had been a mother.
With that said, yes, her mind was elusive to me, and my own daughter’s inability to read her only seemed to reinforce the idea that there was not much to this woman, at least, not much left. But now, as I sought her truth, as I felt more connected to her than I had in a long, long time, I also saw more of her too. She seemed to expand before me. Come to life before me. I sensed her own fear and confusion at being stifled for over a decade. Then again, I was not sorry I had done so. She really was someone to fear, and she really did want to take over my body. Not to mention, none of this was my idea.
But according to Allison, I might have very well known what I was getting into this mess. Enough to hurt anyone’s head.
I caught another thought from Elizabeth. She did not want to take over my body, not any more. No, she had resigned herself to living in the shadows and only hoped for a few minutes of air time here and there. Perhaps once a month—hell, once a year. She would take anything I gave her.
The problem was, I knew if I gave her even an inch, she would take a mile. The doorway would be forever open. The Alchemist had warned me that there was no turning back once that happened. Once open, the doorway stayed open.
I sensed her wanting to object, but she couldn’t.
Then it’s true, I thought. If I ever did let you out, you would take over more and more.
She didn’t want to answer, but I already sensed the answer in her, anyway.
It is true, Sssamantha. It is the way of possession. Does the chick not want to break free from the egg? Does the sea turtle not crawl instinctively to the sea? We all want freedom.
And yet you chose bondage?
We can be so free as to choose bondage, Sssamantha.
I felt more truths within her, and thought, You did not know I would be such a hard-ass.
I would have said ‘worthy adversary’ but yes, came her response.
You thought you would control me by now.
Yes and no, Moon Dance. I knew you were strong. I knew your bloodline was strong. I knew you were a formidable witch—
How in the hell would you know about my past lives? I barely even remember them.
And what memory I had was fleeting at best.
It is not so hard to access the Akashic Records, child. They are there for all to read, between lives.
I knew about these records, of course. The Book of Life, as it was sometimes called. A recording of all our lives, throughout all of time.
That doesn’t explain how you knew I would be born to my parents, at this time, a convergence of my witchy past... and the bloodline I would be born into in this life.
Many lives, Sssamantha. You often choose this bloodline, although not always. It is a rich and powerful and formidable bloodline, and always, it has helped sharpen and hone your witchcraft. All should be so lucky to be born from the great Hermetic bloodline.
Let’s focus here, I thought. That still does not explain how you knew I would be here, in this place, at this time.
That is not my secret to tell, she responded.
Fine, I thought. Tell me about the plot against me.
There is no plot, Sssamantha.
It makes sense for there to be one. I’m not exactly going with the program. You guys are no closer to opening the veil than you were before—
Not true, Sssamantha. As they say, where there is a will, there is a way. True, you were and are our best option. And, yes, your daughter was and is a viable option, too. So, too, is your sister, both of whom have been witches in past lives, too, although not quite as powerful. But we are looking into other options, Sssamantha. I have no desire to leave you just yet. Although my existence is not enviable, you have proven to be entertaining.
Gee, thanks.
Hearing about my daughter’s and Mary Lou’s pasts was news to me, although it made sense. After all, why would I be the only witch in the family?
One thing was clear: the devil had lied to my daughter and tricked her into making a deal with him. How binding that was, I didn’t know.
It is only as binding as she allows it, Sam. The devil has no real power over anyone.
Unless he possesses them.
Yesss.
A thought occurred to me: Do you know how to stop the devil?
There are rumors, Moon Dance.
What rumors?
There is one who knows more than me.
Who?
My son.
Chapter Six
Allison was still on babysitting duty.
In fact, per my request, she had taken my kids to go see the latest Marvel movie about some giant bug man. Or was it a mountain lion man? Either way, it gave me some time to work with—and peace of mind, too, knowing they were with Allison, who was proving to be a helluva babysitter. Whether she wanted to or not.
The devil claimed that the dark masters had targeted me, and I decided to ask the dark masters themselves. No, not Danny, who would have been considered a peon. The truth was, he wouldn’t know anything, especially considering he never left Anthony’s side... 1or his mind. Doing so would, of course, expose him to the devil. No, I knew of one dark master who was very, very high up in the chain of command. A dark master who had positioned herself nicely for a future takeover of the world itself. That is, if I ever gave her the time of day to do so, which I didn’t. But to speak to Elizabeth meant letting her out, and letting her out meant potential trouble for me. After all, what if she came all the way out?
I shuddered just thinking about it.
No, I had another source, which was why I was now on the elevator up to the third floor of the Cal State Fullerton Library, which just might have been the biggest library I’d ever seen; then again, I was pretty sure this was the only university library I’d seen. Hell, maybe they were all this big.
The door dinged and I stepped out into a world of books, rows and rows of books. Long rows, too, with high shelve
s that needed ladders. Here and there, students with earbuds were studying. How earbuds helped studying, I hadn’t a clue. I seriously suspected that kids’ brains these days were wired differently than my generation. As in, maybe they were born with an auxiliary input just behind their ears.
Officially, the library’s Occult Reading Room didn’t exist; that is, unless you happened to have a reason for finding it. I suspected it was the Alchemist himself who determined who had reason enough to find it.
At the far end of the main aisle, I came upon one hell of a long-ass wall. There were no doors along this wall, or windows. Nor were there any desks. I wondered if Maximus had somehow had a hand in that. Indeed, it wouldn’t do to have a row of students studying here while alchemists, occult researchers, wizards, witches, and one spunky vampire disappeared through a secret door.
Anyway, I hung a left and headed down the empty corridor, a long row of books to my left. I wondered which row of books paralleled the Occult Reading Room, and saw that they appeared to be anthropological studies of mostly long-lost cultures and tribes. Books about customs and war and even a whole row about hallucinogenic drugs. I looked closer at a few titles. Shamans and Dream Gates was the title of one. The Hallucinogenic Path into Other Worlds - The Shaman’s Role was another. There were more, and each more seductive than the last. Truth be known, most seemed like they belonged in the Occult Reading Room, but, upon closer inspection, they were all written by real field anthropologists, scholars and professors. Most were focused more on the culture, and less on the dream worlds themselves.
Still, it got me thinking about other worlds. I knew the dark masters had been banished to their own parallel world, called the Void. A bleak world, I suspected. After all, why were they so desperate to return to Earth? Well, I knew the answer to some of that. According to Elizabeth, Earth was to be their launching point to conquer the empty spaces of the universe, those vast unknown places that even God had yet to explore, to claim them for their own. I knew Talos lived in his own world, one that was fully realized and beautiful. And just yesterday, I had stepped foot into such a world. Hell, I’d even battled a dragon.
