Conjuring Darkness

by Melanie James

  “Boy, if you take that approach, you will lose her for sure. What is that saying about absence making the heart grow fonder? Bullshit! That is nothing more than stringing her along. Everything you hoped she would be able to achieve in life on her own, is actually better accomplished WITH someone at her side. If you weren’t so far away and I wasn’t so old, I would smack that big dumb head of yours.”

  “Ha ha Abraham, I think I’ve been doing that to myself enough.”

  “I want you to seriously think about every one of those little things that happen in the course of a day. Imagine being able to share a laugh, a smile, or steal a kiss. Imagine when things are going bad as they often do in life. Wouldn’t it be good for you, or for her, to be able to have someone to turn to? Someone that you can always count on? Those are the things that make it worthwhile. Just be there to support each other when you need to. There are no written rules on how relationships should work, except for one. To love each other. You want an exciting adventure? Go to her and tell her that you want to spend your life with her.”

  “Still, doesn’t it just seem so sudden to you, Abraham?”

  “Listen to me, boy. I’m a romantic. I believe there is such a thing as love at first sight, and I believe in fate. You may have just met a short while ago, but I’ll guarantee you that you two have spent more time together and have experienced more than most people do, before taking a leap like that. And another thing, if you are worried that she will change, or you will change in the course of a relationship, well you need to accept the fact that people DO change. The key to happiness is to let that change grow out of your love for each other and not because you are imposing change on each other. Too many people try to transform their partners into what THEY think they should be like, and that is when things go sour. I can’t begin to tell you the number of times I’ve seen miserable couples like that. You two on the other hand, want nothing more than to NOT change each other in anyway, because what you see in each other, is perfect just the way you both are. You both have the winning lottery numbers right there, boy. Any changes will be because you will grow together. Believe me, you won’t regret it.”

  “You are pretty good at giving advice, Abraham.”

  “Really, you both worry too much about the same thing. One last thing. Imagine again, that from this moment, you will never see her again. How does that make your heart feel?”

  “It aches, it hurts like a hunger.” He couldn’t imagine going through another day without Lexi in his life and he decided that he needed to tell her exactly that. “Abraham, could you handle things up here for a bit?”

  “Certainly Ryan. Going to find Lexi?” Abraham was genuinely excited at the idea of Ryan and Lexi finding each other.

  “Of course!” Ryan beamed back.

  Abraham stood up and took over the captain’s chair for Ryan.

  Ryan made his way down to the main lounge of the yacht. It was exquisitely finished with highly polished exotic woods and a marble counter for the bar. There were half a dozen pieces of oversized, red leather upholstered furniture over a teak wood floor. The designers had spared no expense in every detail, from the lighting fixtures to the artwork on the walls.

  Ryan assumed that Ben must have borrowed this yacht from a very powerful friend. Perhaps, it was a prize that was confiscated by arresting some well-to-do weapons smugglers. He looked over to the couch and spotted Lexi sprawled out, fast asleep. The book she had been reading, had fallen to the floor. He picked up the book and looked at the scantily clad lovers embraced on the cover and smiled. He flipped through the pages and nearly blushed at an intimate scene described in lurid detail.

  At least I know where she gets her wild ideas from!

  She was dressed in shorts and a flimsy tank-top that did nothing to conceal the hardness of her rosy nipples. He found a soft throw and with a light kiss on her cheek, he covered her up. Lexi opened her eyes half way.

  “Hey, Ryan. I’m sorry. I just wanted to relax a little and I guess I relaxed a little too well.”

  “Oh, go right ahead. I was wondering what you were up to. You looked like you were getting a little cold, so I covered you up. Do you mind if I sit here with you?”

  Lexi smiled and sat up half way. She patted the spot where her head had been resting and Ryan sat down. Lexi laid back down, so that her head was cradled in his lap.

  He combed his fingers through her silky auburn curls with one hand. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, Lexi finally spoke. “So...you look like you have something on your mind, Ryan. Is there something you want to talk about?”

  “Actually there is. Remember back in Haifa? I asked you about where you saw us going after this is over. Well I have to be honest, I just don’t think it can work out.”

  Lexi’s heart stopped and Ryan noticed her face had turned completely pale.

  “No! I meant that I can’t see it working out with us being so far apart and being apart isn’t an option. I can’t imagine going through another day of my life without you in it.” He said, in one quick breath. He desperately needed to correct the path of the conversation.

  “I’ve always felt like there was something missing in my life, until I met you. You fill the empty space in my heart and it’s a perfect fit. I love you and I’m not going to let go of this feeling.” He took her in his arms and lifted her closer to his face while she jubilantly threw her arms around his neck.

  “Ryan, please don’t look at me. I’m starting to cry. Just keep talking. Tell me. Tell me what you want.”

  “Well, I was thinking about how you have this new business started, a house you’ve bought, and a new life that you are getting off the ground up in Montana. I was hoping it would be okay with you if Buddy and I were to come up there with you. I can give you a hand fixing up that house. I’ve stashed away more loot than I know what to do with, so I know I won’t be holding you back. Who knows? Maybe we’ll find some other business ventures to dream about. I just want to be with you, Lex. What do you say?”

  “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Lexi looked him in the eye and asked him about her concern on a light-hearted tone. “What about your little bungalow on the beach? Will you still have to go off into the jungle and get yourself shot at?”

  “Oh the house? That belongs to the company. I was planning on quitting the business I’m in anyway. The plan was to have them buy out my stake in the company. If you’re worried that I’ll go off chasing the call of the wild, let me ease your mind. I wouldn’t even ask you any of this if I didn’t intend on being there with you. Unless of course, you toss me out.”

  “Not likely.” Lexi said in a low voice as she covered his lips with hers.

  What started off as a small light kiss, quickly turned into a devouring hunger for both. They licked and nipped at each other’s mouths, the heat flared between them. Ryan quickly tugged her shirt over her head. His mouth slowly ran over her neck and chest, stopping only to suck each hardened bud into the heat of his mouth. He flicked the tips of her breasts with his tongue while gently squeezing each mound with his free hand.

  Lexi moaned aloud as he continued his sensual torture. Her hands reached for his waist, pulling and tugging at his shirt. She desperately needed to remove the offending article of clothing. He broke free from her just long enough for her to remove the shirt.

  Not wanting to stop again, Lexi quickly peeled off the rest of her clothing and watched as he did the same. She pushed at his chest to let him know that she wanted him to sit back down. Lexi straddled him and began teasing him. She rocked back and forth along his length, kissing him softly, slowly. He was hard to the point of bursting, but she wanted him begging for her. Payback. She thought and chuckled, when he started to squirm beneath her in a desperate attempt to bury himself deep inside of her wetness. She loved knowing she had that sort of power over him. It was completely erotic, yet foreign to her.

  Lexi raised herself up before sliding back down onto his throbbing length. She needed him to be inside of her
. She rose slightly, quickly bringing herself back down again, feeling every thick inch of him. Her body shook in delight as his patience ran thin. He grasped her hips firmly pushing himself up into her at a rapid pace. She moaned in bliss as an orgasm washed over her body. She wound her arms tight around his neck and held on for the ride of her life.

  Eventually, they went up to the bridge, both looking every bit of just having had incredible sex.

  Abraham looked at them and broke out in a hefty laughter. “Fate!”

  Lexi winked at Abraham and quickly changed the subject, asking him about her parents. “Abraham, could you please tell us a little more about what types of research my parents and you had in common?”

  “Oh yes, it’s quite interesting actually. Your parents and I were of the same school of thought on a matter that sort of pushed us to the brink of acceptance in the weird world of academia.”

  Once Ryan assumed the control of the yacht, Abraham took out some of the books and papers he had been looking over earlier. He spread them out on the chart table. “It meshes right in to the situation we are dealing with, in regards to the demon called The Seven.” Ryan looked over and winked at Lexi, to acknowledge how well she had diverted Abraham’s commentary about fate.

  “Okay class, let’s start by defining antediluvian. Literally it means before the deluge, before the great flood. I’m going to be very general because I don’t know what faith, if any, you believe or what creation story you follow or any of that. Just about all of the ancient civilizations had a story about a great flood that pretty much cleaned the slate for civilization to restart with modern humans, and the other living creatures we have today. The bible, of course, has the very well-known story of Noah and the Ark, but all of the civilizations of Mesopotamia had various flood stories as well.

  So we have the Great Flood that all of these different groups of ancient people believe had happened. Scientifically we have found evidence also of a Great Flood, as well. The difference between all of these stories and the evidence really comes down to exactly when it occurred. Your parents as well as I agreed that the flood that impacted the civilizations of the Middle East happened around 5,700 BCE. All of the oldest civilizations, like Sumer seem to be around four thousand years old. So these civilizations rose up after the great flood.

  The big dark unknown time of man occurred during the antediluvian time period before the flood. Most in the academic community say that humans were nothing more than nomadic hunters and gatherers. Some, like me, say that there were probably many very advanced civilizations that existed, but they were completely destroyed. Any evidence of them lies buried under the earth or at the bottom of the sea.

  I find it hard to believe that humans managed to survive for tens, or even hundreds of thousands of years, just picking berries and catching rabbits. Suddenly after the flood and for the first time, they just decide to build up great cities, complex agricultural systems, and a written language? No way.”

  Ryan nodded his head and agreed. “Yeah, I agree with your idea, Abraham. Humans had to have done it before. Imagine before the flood, civilizations were way ahead of where the Sumerians were and they just got wiped out. It must have been like starting over, with only a little bit of all that knowledge from before the flood.”

  Lexi interjected. “What did the old civilizations believe? I mean, they were a lot closer in time to the flood than we were. Did they have any records of what went on before the flood?”

  “Oh yes. The Sumerians and others had several stories that talk about a time when Gods and demons were constantly meddling with humans. When you read the epic tales it is sometimes described as a very chaotic time. Some deities were plotting against man and some were trying to help them. The great flood was supposedly brought about to rid the world of all humanity, while others did their best to preserve some people to carry on after the floods had receded. The Seven were part of a plot to kill off everyone with disease, famine, and floods. Other cultures had similar stories. Some ancient Jewish writings say that before the flood, there existed a race of people they called Nephilim. Supposedly, they were giants or monsters. They were believed to be the offspring of The Watchers that had sexual intercourse with human females.”

  “Watchers? I don’t know if I’ve heard the term before.” Lexi added.

  “Yes, The Watchers. Some more recent texts may call them angels, but in the Book of Enoch they are called The Watchers. Some were good and some were very bad. The Book of Enoch is an ancient Jewish writing that was said to have been written by the grandfather of Noah. It contains a part called The Book of Watchers. None of the major religious groups have included this collection of Enoch in their bible, except for a couple of the Ethiopian Orthodox churches. It’s very detailed and lists many of The Watchers by name and what evil things they did.

  I suppose you could say they were the fallen angels. They were supposed to watch over man, but in time, some of them started to lust over them and those are the ones who began to seduce women. The Watchers also practiced sorcery and taught humans the dark arts of conjuring demons, and etcetera. The idea of the flood was to wipe out everything and start over, because things got so bad. The Watchers were corrupting man and the Nephilim were wreaking havoc. On top of that, there were demons running amok.”

  Ryan and Lexi listened intently to Abraham’s lesson and Lexi prompted the old man with another question. “So, what happened to The Watchers and the Nephilim?”

  “The Nephilim were supposedly destroyed or turned to stone.”

  “Do you buy into any of that, Abraham?” Ryan asked.

  “Something tells me that all of these stories written by the Sumerians, The Akkadians, The Babylonians, The Jews, and others, were all built upon each other. I tend to lean toward most of the Sumerian writings as being closer to the original information, since they were the oldest and closest to the flood. The Jewish Book of Enoch was really written as a way to incorporate some of the old Sumerian and Babylonian tales that had been handed down to them orally.

  Some parts of the Book of Enoch such as The Watchers, and the Nephilim that were turned to stone, were simply constructed as a way to try to come up with an explanation for the old Sumerian stone monuments they found. They had images of winged creatures that looked like angels or demons and the Jewish people didn’t understand the old Sumerian writings. They simply came up with ideas that could explain those artifacts and mesh them into their own cultural history.”

  “So, the whole sorcery and witchcraft thing. Is that how people try to tap into those old demons or spirits, Abraham?”

  “Yes Ryan, I think that’s precisely what they are doing. The Sumerian witches were sometimes trying to use the black magic that was from before the flood, to conjure the darkest demons that had been banished. I don’t know if they were being forced into doing it, or if they were trying to gain power for themselves.”

  Ryan surprised the other two with an observation. “Well, maybe they were just looking for equality. I would imagine that back then people were constantly getting stepped on by those with power. Women were treated pretty damn bad too. So perhaps, they wanted to level the playing field. A little bit of black magic could certainly be used for that.”

  “Perhaps that is the case, but the end should never justify the means. I think that is especially true when nobody understands what they are really playing around with.” Lexi said.

  Abraham suddenly noticed the gold ring Lexi wore on her left hand. It had the appearance of three braided strands with a small, flat oval area on the top of the ring. “Lexi, would you mind if I take a look at that ring of yours?”

  “Sure, but I don’t know if it will come off. I got it from my mother when I was very young. I started wearing it after she passed away.”

  “Do you know where she got it? It is quite old. In fact it’s ancient.”

  “Really? No, I don’t know where she got it. I think it was on one of her expeditions with my Dad.”

  “We
ll, that ring appears to be the type of design sometimes found in artifacts from the Akkadian Empire, during the reign of Sargon the Great.”

  “What is the Akkadian Empire? I know that I’ve heard of it, but I have no idea what it is.”

  “It was probably the first true empire that unified many different people from present day Iraq, all the way to Southeastern Turkey as well as Northern Syria. They used the Sumerian language and beliefs. Anyway, that ring, it’s very nice and very rare. Priceless actually. At one time, there may have been something inscribed on that flat oval space. Perhaps, a blessing or the name of someone.”

  Lexi looked at the ring and wondered about the person that once wore it. “Well, I certainly hope it didn’t have a pentagram or demon on it.”

  Ryan slowed the yacht, until it was gently churning the black water of the harbor. A spotlight flooded a shimmering path ahead. Lexi and Abraham stood outside of the bridge, to assist in spotting Ryan’s contact that he expected to be waiting on the pier. The sun had been down for a couple of hours and very few people remained in the area.

  They noticed a boat that appeared to be some sort of coastal patrol boat, cruising parallel to them. The group also spotted a pair of Land Rovers that were parked in a distant lot. Lexi was the first to notice a man standing on the pier. He waved and called out to them. In response, Ryan navigated the craft quietly to the pier. The man tied the boat to the pier and jumped onboard. Lexi noticed how he greeted Ryan with the same exuberance that the men in Tel Aviv had. While they were talking, the patrol boat drifted alongside. The man that Ryan had been talking to yelled out something in Turkish and waved at the men in the patrol boat, which then turned away and sped off into the dark.