by J. F. Penn
Hebrew letters spun around Mikael now, his hands lifting as he spoke his chants louder and louder into the vortex of darkness that circled around him, the Devourers darting towards him, trying to penetrate his ring of power. He thrust one hand out and a golden aleph flew from him, pinning one of the demons against a wall, burning its smoking flesh, its scream an animal howl as it dissolved. With both hands now, he shaped some of the shining letters together and rolled them together to form a glowing ball. He threw it into a group of the shades. They burst apart as it struck them, shadowy tatters falling to the ground like rags, their remains dragged back towards the pit by some dark gravity.
As Mikael cast his golden letters against the horde, the golem used his thick legs to drive the giant toad back to the edge of the pit. With a final heave, it tipped the creature into the void as the winged demon swooped down from above. It sank its talons into the golem, claws ripping at the golden word that animated it. Mikael drew in the air before him, his fingers moving like golden lightning, leaving trails in the smoky air around them. Then he blew on the word and sent it to the golem to renew his strength.
Adam Kadmon screamed and launched himself at Mikael, his expression wild, teeth bared like a berzerker in the throes of bloodlust. Mikael turned too late and Kadmon knocked him to the ground, the golden letters dropping in the air, almost falling to the floor. The shades that threatened Morgan inched closer. She pulled her head back as their dripping mouths snapped at her face.
Mikael managed to get an arm free and he sent a wave of glowing letters her way, pushing the demons back. Morgan felt the bonds about her wrists relax and drop.
"Get to Sofia, take her out of here," Mikael shouted. "Go! The letters will protect –"
His words were cut off as Adam punched him, Mikael's own circle of protection weakened by his actions to help her. Morgan wanted to run to him, drag Adam off and beat him back to the pit herself. The two men grappled on the floor, surrounded by a host of dark wraiths waiting to feed and strengthen themselves to go out into the world above. She couldn't let that happen, but somehow she knew that if she approached, if she tried to intervene, the delicate balance Mikael juggled would be lost. She thought of Jake, his words in the cave, and she made her choice.
Morgan took a deep breath and stepped out of the circle towards where Sofia lay on the sarcophagus. The wraiths drew closer. She could almost feel their icy touch, the morbid caress of tattered skin on hers. She ran around the dark vortex and began to work at the ties that bound the young woman. The golem and the winged creature still wrestled on the edge of the pit near them, and Morgan glanced over as she tried to get Sofia free, afraid that any minute the demon would come for them.
A rumble came from deep beneath, like the belching of a huge fire and a whooshing noise as something was released below. Whatever had been freed, it was coming up towards the gate and it would burst into this world within seconds.
Morgan looked up and across the room, meeting Mikael's eyes for a split second. It was as if the world stood still, and she saw eternity in his dark eyes. She saw a man her father had chosen for this task, who was powerful enough to command the letters of the Torah and accept the burden of sacrifice.
"No," she whispered, even as she understood what he must do.
With a roar, Mikael stood, thrusting Adam Kadmon away from him so the man fell to the ground. The skeleton Key skittered across the floor. Mikael raised his hands up, his voice lifting in powerful prayer as he called down the power of the unnameable into the letters and symbols he carved into the air. He pushed his hands towards the giant hole in the ground and the golden letters began to pour into it, filling it with golden light. The wraiths were sucked back down, as if the vortex had reversed.
A rumble came from below and a hideous screech of frustration as the ground shook with violence. Small bits of stone and masonry fell from the ceiling. Morgan worked faster. Sofia moaned, her eyes fluttering. Morgan pulled her from the sarcophagus, just as a huge chunk of masonry smashed down where Sofia's head had been only seconds before.
"We have to get out of here," Morgan shouted. "I need your help now." She shook her, but Sofia was looking around the chamber in catatonic horror, the shock of what she saw stunning her into unmoving silence.
Across the room, Mikael forced Adam Kadmon back towards the pit as golden letters poured from his lips and hands. It was exquisitely beautiful; Morgan tried to freeze the image in her mind as the brilliant letters illuminated the dark wraiths, burning them like airborne torches. Mikael was almost aflame, his face shining as had Moses' on the heights of the mountain when he saw God. Morgan understood how her father must have craved this kind of power, and yet, once wrought, it could only destroy.
Mikael's voice became like a rushing waterfall and he spoke the powerful curse, the Pulsa diNura, calling down the lashes of fire from the angels of destruction. At the edge of her vision, Morgan thought she saw a shimmer of angels' wings beating back the demons towards the pit. The sucking vortex swirled the wraiths back into it, and Morgan felt the pull of the vacuum. She pushed Sofia back behind the sarcophagus, the heavy stone preventing them from being sucked down as the dark things were hurtled back from whence they came. The golem wrapped its thick arms about the winged creature and then fell forward into the pit, its clay body dissolving as it dropped, its weight dragging the demon down with it.
Morgan could see the strain on Mikael's face as he became a conduit for whatever worked through him, the forces of the light he had sought as his life's work – just as her father had done before him. Adam Kadmon tackled him from behind, driving him forward. They toppled for a moment, hanging on the edge of the pit.
"No!" Morgan's cry was lost in the whirlwind. Mikael met her eyes, his smile a blessing, and she knew that he saw his God in that moment. He stretched out his hand and the skeleton Key flew into the air, hovering above them in the vault. With one last shouted prayer, an explosion of gold letters burst from him, illuminating every corner of the dark place, driving the remaining demons back into the pit. Mikael fell together with Adam Kadmon into the vortex and the vacuum pulled the great trapdoor shut after them. The Key dropped to the vast swirling copper lock, melting as it fused with the metal, a swirl of bone solidifying until it froze into place.
A second later it was silent in the vaulted chamber, with only the echoes of Mikael's prayers ringing in Morgan's ears. She fell to her knees on the giant trapdoor, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Mikael," she whispered. She put the palm of her hands on the wood, hoping to feel something from below. But it was cool, dead, as if nothing had even happened. She knew that if she could lift these doors, there would be nothing beneath them but the flagstones on which they rested. Mikael was gone, his last vestiges of power used to close the portal to whatever world was beneath, perhaps this time for good.
A chunk of stone fell from the roof, crashing onto the flagstones and splintering into fragments. The structure of the castle had been weakened by the great forces that had waged here, and more of the roof began to fall. Morgan stood and grabbed Sofia, wrapping the girl's arm around her neck, half dragging her to the stairwell.
As they left the chamber behind, Sofia seemed to revive, the fear of being buried alive taking over. Together, they ran from the depths, up into the chapel and out through the courtyard. The whole place collapsed about them as they ran, making it into the car park as an avalanche from the mountain above shook the earth, burying the castle under tons of stone.
Only minutes later, the two women stood on the edge of the destruction, gazing at the steaming pile, praying that nothing would rise again from those depths as the wail of approaching sirens came from across the valley.
Chapter 29: Two days later
Morgan stood looking down at the grave of Mikael Levy. His body hadn't been found, of course. She knew it never would be. But he would be remembered here in Safed, surrounded by the great names of Kabbalah, the blue paint on his tomb honoring the fact
that he belonged.
She placed a small stone on the edge of the grave and then her fingers touched the black ribbon pinned to her jacket. It represented the rending of clothes, the tear in the heart of the mourner. Morgan closed her eyes and sent her thoughts out to Mikael, hoping that somehow he would know he was missed, that his sacrifice had closed the Gates of Hell … for now at least. There was no other alignment of planets within this generation, and with the portal buried and the Key destroyed, Morgan couldn't see how that route to the place below could be opened again. It didn't mean others wouldn't try to break through into that other realm, but her faith was stronger now, and she knew the darkness could be beaten. No one would ever know how much Mikael had given, but she would remember his sacrifice.
A bird sang a sweet song from the trees above her, its piercing cry a lament for the man her father had chosen as a worthy successor. Morgan felt the sun on her face and the turning of the world in the beat of her heart. This was her land, but she had chosen a different path and ARKANE's mission was even more strongly written on her life now. She would sit shiva for Mikael, participate in the seven days of mourning, then she would go back to London and be ready for whatever Marietti needed. For whenever darkness encroached on the earth, there would be people of the light ready to fight it back down.
<<>>
The ARKANE series continues with ONE DAY IN NEW YORK:
New York City is built upon a dark secret. If this knowledge falls into the wrong hands, the city will crumble.
When a woman is crucified on a burning cross in downtown Manhattan, it marks the beginning of a dangerous crusade. The Confessors seek the powerful relic of a dark angel and they will stop at nothing to get it.
ARKANE agent Jake Timber is in New York to investigate the eleventh century Cloisters Cross alongside Naomi Locasto, a linguist, when they become entangled in the mystery. As his past threatens to overwhelm him, can Jake find the relic of the angel before the Confessors destroy the city?
Click here to preview or purchase on Kindle
Author's Note
I wanted to delve into Morgan's family history in this book, and I had always intended to do a book about Spain when I first introduced Leon Sierra's heritage in CRYPT OF BONE.
I love Spain and visited Barcelona earlier this year where I imagined the opening scene at the Sagrada Familia. It really is one of the most amazing churches in the world, a true delight to behold and my wide grin matched Jake's when I entered for the first time. I've also spent time in Granada, Córdoba and Seville and I want to go back there and spend more time in Andalucia. It's an area I can't get enough of and all the architectural details described are based on real places and history. I have also been to flamenco nights in Seville, hence the scene in the Alhambra, another amazing location.
You can see some of my own pictures of Spain, as well as other images that inspired the book here: http://www.pinterest.com/jfpenn/gates-of-hell/
Kabbalah
There are many schools of Kabbalah and I discovered just how complex a belief system it is as I read more about it. It takes years of study to even begin to probe the meaning of the Torah, so although I tried to base the book on research, it would have been a complicated treatise if I had tried to include much of it. I've taken some fascinating aspects of Kabbalism, such as the power of the Hebrew letters that make up scripture, but essentially I have fictionalized it and all embellishments and mistakes in research are my own. Here are some aspects that may be interesting:
The Sefer Yetzirah, or Book of Creation, does detail the creation of a golem
You can play around with gematria at: http://www.gematrix.org
Adam Kadmon is a representation of Primordial Man in Kabbalah
The Pulsa diNura is indeed a Kabbalah curse
The Kabbalah representation of evil, Qliphoth, does include the Devourers, the Misshapen and the Polluted of God, and there is a theory of the multiverse in Kabbalistic thought
Israel
I visited Safed many years ago and was struck by the peaceful hilly streets. I also remember the color blue as a vivid aspect of the town. I have always been drawn to visit there again, so hopefully that trip won't be far off.
Diving the Dead Sea is indeed possible, but it doesn't sound like much fun! http://www.deadseadivers.com/
The Caves of Sodom are real, but closed to visitors.
The Gates of Hell
After using Sedlec in my book, Prophecy, I didn't expect to find the Gates of Hell only a few hours away! Although there are a number of places in the world that claim to be the Gates, Houska Castle seemed the most interesting. It has several centuries' worth of haunting stories, including the horse and the ghostly chain gang described, plus some architectural features and art that I wanted to include.
The planetary alignment and blood moons did occur earlier this year, in 2014 as I write, so it seemed a fitting time to write of the opening between the worlds.
Other Books by J.F.Penn (Amazon)
Thanks for joining Morgan and the ARKANE team. Have you read the entire series?
Stone of Fire #1
Crypt of Bone #2
Ark of Blood #3
One Day In Budapest #4
Day of the Vikings #5
Gates of Hell #6
One Day in New York #7
More from J.F.Penn
If you like crime novels set in London, join Detective Jamie Brooke in:
Desecration: Death isn't always the end
Delirium: Those who the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad
Plus, A Thousand Fiendish Angels: Short stories based on Dante's Inferno
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About J.F.Penn
Joanna Penn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of supernatural thrillers, including the ARKANE and London Psychic series. Joanna has a Master’s degree in Theology from the University of Oxford, Mansfield College, and a Graduate Diploma in Psychology from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
She lives in London, England but spent eleven years in Australia and New Zealand. Joanna worked for thirteen years as an international business consultant within the IT industry, but is now a full-time author-entrepreneur.
Joanna is a PADI Divemaster and enjoys traveling as often as possible. She is obsessed with religion and psychology and loves to read, drink Pinot Noir and soak up European culture through art, architecture and food.
You can get free books as well as pre-release specials and giveaways at:
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Connect with Joanna online:
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to Jen Blood, my brilliant editor and first reader, as well as fantastic author of dark mysteries. And also to Wendy Janes, my proofreader, and to Marcia A. Kwiecinski for the helpful comments.
Thanks to Derek Murphy, from Creativindie, my fantastic book cover designer. And also to Danniel Soares, who designed the Key to the Gates of Hell, the illustration on the front of the book.
Thanks also to Paul Murphy, whose book As I walked out through Spain in search of Laurie Lee, inspi
red some of the Spanish setting.
Copyright page
Copyright © J.F. Penn (2014). All rights reserved.
www.JFPenn.com
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is fictionalized or coincidental.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Quotes
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29: Two days later
Author's Note
