by Tanya Simon
“Well, the choice is simple, if this for real, chose mankind and this ends.”
“No, it’s not simple! Even if I made a choice now the killing wouldn’t stop, not yet. And they have my son. Cain won’t simply lie down and die. He will fight until the bitter end.” She smiled, “The first five or six rounds have already gone to him and he has the advantage. I am just learning to use my powers. He has fine-tuned his for the last seven or eight thousand years. And as much as I hate to admit it, there’s a part of me which longs to go to my mother and the Roodmasi.”
“Okay how do we stop them?” Sam said trying to loosen his hold on the normal and grab hold of the abnormal.
“If I can figure out where they meet, maybe the police could plan a raid, which would take care of the human members and weaken Cain’s numbers. If we manage to do that much, it would just leave us with the non-humans to battle.” She looked at Ryan and he nodded his head. “Ryan has special abilities as well, we will take on Cain and my mother and whoever else isn’t human.” Mystery’s eyes glowed with excitement.
“Maybe.” He ran his hands through his hair. The lieutenant was going to take some convincing to give the kind of manpower this raid would require. “You work on figuring out where they are and I’ll work on my lieutenant when you give me a location.” He stood and Mystery stood with him. Ryan reached out to shake hands with him. Sam took it and thought about the differences between the brothers. There was absolutely no fear in his eyes and his palms were dry. Seth had been scared every time he had seen him. Then Sam looked at Mystery and realized how much she had changed; she had come out of the catatonic state armed and ready to fight. They both looked at him with the steady gazes of the battle-tested. He smiled, maybe he could give Naomi’s mother what he had promised her: those bastards dead or behind bars. Mystery returned the smile and she and Ryan walked away. As Sam left he whispered goodbye to Naomi.
Sam looked around the spacious townhouse. It was split-level, with a bedroom, bath, kitchen, dining room, and living room on the main floor. He had already seen the recreation room, bath, and bedroom downstairs and now he was wondering through the master suite into a huge bathroom. He liked the place but something about it made him feel lonely. He listened to the real estate lady drone on about what a steal the townhome was and wished, like he had every time she had shown him some place that he had someone to move into whatever new place he chose, with him.
“I’ll take it.” Sam blurted out. “Tell them I’ll pay what they are asking and I want to take possession by the first of the month. If they give you grief because that’s only ten days away offer them a thousand dollar bonus.”
The lady was nearly apoplectic. “Yes, sir.”
Sam wanted out of all that vacant space and he went for the door, the lady rambling on as she followed him.
“Thank you, Mrs. Langtree.” Sam turned and shook her hand. He hurried to his car and pulled away. It was time to go back to the hotel room he had been calling home and get drunk.
Raevanne glared at the small photo of Sam she held in her hand. So, he thought he would bring the Roodmasi down, did he? She laughed. The Roodmasi had existed for thousands of years and it would take more than one mortal cop to bring it to ruin. However, he could bring them trouble at a time when they needed to be focused on the Ascension. So she stood and went down the stone steps. She motioned five of the women she passed over to her and bade them to follow. She entered the ritual room and all of the candles flared to life. Each woman and Raevanne dropped their cloaks and let the candle light shine off their naked bodies. Then Raevanne poured ritual wine in chalices and passed each of the women one. Each took out her boline and sliced her fingers, adding their blood to the wine. They stood in a circle around the inverted pentagram etched into the floor and it began to glow. They all bowed their heads, and said in unison.
“Lilith, I beseech you. Lilith, I summon you. Lilith, I plead with you. Lilith, I ask that you rise from your home with The Master and come to me. Lilith, there is one who would threaten all of us. My sister, I have need of your prowess to protect our people from an enemy. I beseech you. I beseech you. I beseech you.”
Together they all drank the wine. The air inside the circle begun to shimmer and the candles flared. A figure began to form inside the circle. Eventually, a beautiful woman with blond hair and black eyes stood inside. She looked toward Raevanne.
“Why have I been summoned?” She said in a soft lilting voice. The other women wept at the beauty of the sound.
Raevanne showed her the picture of Sam. “He is trying to disturb the Ascension. I want him to be preoccupied for now. Do not kill him. Simply keep his focus split.”
“I will do this for you because of our friendship, Raevanne. I will go now.” She turned and disappeared.
Raevanne smiled at the other women and dismissed them. Sam wouldn’t be a problem anymore.
Sam sighed as he got into his car; he was tired of people telling him they understood what he was going through. How could they unless they had lived through their partner going insane, murdering her family, and trying her best to murder you? And you had to kill her before she killed you. It definitely put you in a class all by yourself. No matter the number of sessions you had with the department shrink, you kind of knew you were broken and you would never be fixed.
Rubbing his red, achy eyes, he started his car and pulled out onto the road. The world had gone mad and only he could see it. He knew the case was not going to be solved by conventional means and they were up against something they couldn’t comprehend and could never hope to stop. Naomi had known and now with her gone, he was alone, he had to endure the stares of his fellow officers and the knowledge he was drowning in this mess, solo. The leads had all panned out, the one witness was trying her hardest to come up with their location, but she was still drawing a blank. And the death toll grew nightly. He was, for the first time since he became a cop, considering turning in his shield.
As he pulled into the parking lot of his usual hangout, he wondered if he had the right to go in. The only rule to the bar they all gathered at; was no shoptalk inside the doors. The mood was purposely kept light, because it was supposed to be a haven for cops in a world, which did not understand them. Sam wanted to be with his friends, but Naomi and this screwed up case kept him from fitting in. He got out of his car and tried to lighten up, but when he walked through the door and noticed the subtle stares and looks of pity, reality came slamming back and he slunk to a table in the back, where he could drown his sorrows in peace. The waitress put his beer on the table and smiled at him before heading back to the bar. Sam looked around the room, sighed and let the beer take away the pain.
Sometime after his tenth or eleventh beer, he heard the guys whistling at some new hot chick, but he wasn’t interested in her. He swallowed hard when a gorgeous pair of legs stopped beside his table. Following the legs up and up, he eventually got to a luminous pair of dark eyes and noticed the full pouty lips where moving with words. He blinked and struggled to focus,
“Excuse me.” He hiccupped, “Are you talking to me?”
The lips turned upward in a smile, “Yes, may I sit down?”
“Sure”
The lips slowly focused and became an entire face, heart–stopping in its beauty. He tried to sit up straight and failed miserably.
“Steady there, sailor” she said with a chuckle in her soft, lilting voice. “I’m Lilith Adamson, the chief said I would probably find you here and I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to meet you.”
“Meet me?”
“Yes, I’m your new partner.” Her eyes were kind and understanding, not pitying and he was mortified to feel a tear slide down his face. “I know it’s soon, but the brass felt with the case you are working on and all that has happened, you needed a new partner as soon as possible.” She reached out long, beautifully manicured hands and covered his work-worn ones, “ I didn’t want to wait because I thought it would be easier for you if
I wasn’t standing at Naomi’s desk the first time you met me.”
“God.”
“Sam are you okay?” her huge black eyes filled with concern.
“Yeah, just peachy.”
“I can leave if this is too much.”
“No, I have to deal with it some time, it might as well be now.” He moved his hands from under hers and wiped the tear from his cheek. “Are you sure you want to work with me on this case?”
“Yeah, I think I can do some good. I have a background in Serial Crimes.”
“Oh. That should be useful, welcome aboard.” He stood and dropped crumpled bills on the table. She reached out to steady him. “I’m fine, funny how reality sobers you up, even when you don’t want it to.” He straightened his tie and jacket. “See you tomorrow.” He could feel her eyes on him as he walked out into the night.
Mystery tried desperately to search herself for some memory of the ancient meeting place. The Roodmasi had met there for a very long time; she had lived there for the first three years of her life. Yet as she searched her memories and the memories of others, she could find no one in the whole state who knew of their location. Roodmas grew closer and closer with each passing day and she still had nothing to give the now impatient Detective Jefferies. Every day without her child weakened her resistance. She still had no control over when and where her demon lover showed up. She knew she needed to tell Ryan about him, but to her eternal shame she had enjoyed his visits. Mystery knew as a Roodmasi she would have great wealth and she could be with her son.
She reminded herself as she looked out the window at the beautiful blue sky and the fluffy clouds it was for her son, Ryan, and mankind she must remain strong and she must learn everything she could about her powers. She had to be ready for the final showdown with Cain. She had to win.
Mystery went downstairs to find Ryan, he was in the kitchen reading the paper and drinking coffee. She went over to him and kissed him.
“I made coffee. You looked so peaceful I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Thanks. I needed the sleep.” Mystery took a seat at the table across from him.
“What do you want for breakfast? How about some chocolate chip waffles?”
“Sounds great!”
Mystery went to the refrigerator to get the ingredients she would need. She got out the waffle iron and plugged it in.
“Ryan. I think I should pretend to go home. I think that’s the only way I will get enough knowledge of my powers to defeat Cain.”
“No way!”
“Ryan, listen. If I can learn to use my powers, the prophecy says it is possible for me to defeat Cain. I think that is the only way to save us.”
Ryan came over to Mystery and turned her to face him, he raised her face so he could look into her eyes. “How do we know going to them won’t make you evil? How do we know you will still want to fight Cain?”
She pulled out of his arms and went to stare out the window at the falling snow. The snow should stop falling before Roodmas. Spring was coming and time was short. “I don’t know. But if I don’t try, the Ascension will happen, Satan will come to power and mankind will suffer for all of eternity. I have to try. I have to go.” She walked back to him and hugged him from behind. “We have to win.”
He turned in her arms and pulled her tight against him. “Okay. I’ll go grocery shopping or something tomorrow morning. When Cain comes, appear to weaken and to give in. You will let me know you are okay as soon as you can, or I will find a way to come after you.”
“I’ll let you know.” She went back to her cooking, Ryan watching her every move. They both were wondering if they were doing the right thing. They both knew they were doing the only thing they could do.
They spent the rest of the day together, only separating long enough to go to the bathroom. Ryan and Mystery spent the night making love until they fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. When morning came they made love one more time and then showered together, holding each other until the spray ran cold. Ryan got dressed, put on his coat and gloves, and went to the car. He looked at Mystery standing in the upstairs window, and then he drove away.
There is comfort in evil.
No hurting with good intentions.
It promises utter destruction
And never breaks its promise.
Predictable and focused,
It whispers to the lost,
Taking the pain and the longing,
Snuffing out hope
wringing the last tear.
Filling the void inside
with sweet, calming nothing. –
19
Mystery went downstairs and poured herself a mug of coffee. She took it and went to sit at the table. Tears streaked down her face as the sound of her son’s crying filled the room. He was hungry and she could not get to him to feed him. She waited for the usual anger and all she felt was sorrow and weariness.
To dispel the doom she decided to go for a run. She went and changed and headed out down the street, pushing herself as hard as she could. She would run the melancholy out of her system and she would go home and deal with her father. She remembered Ryan would be back before too long, so, she called him on her cell and told him she would need more time. He said he would go to the movies.
Mystery continued to run until she could barely catch her breath. She turned around and pushed herself harder, making the return trip in half the time. She let herself into the house and went upstairs to shower.
She leaned against the wall and let the hot water pummel her head. She willed herself to relax and let the liquid warmth seep into her body. She sighed languidly as her tensed muscles were soothed.
Unexpectedly, the bathroom curtain swung back, the water gathering in the tub splashed as invisible feet stepped in behind her. Mystery groped blindly for better hold on the slippery shower wall as hands covered her breasts and began to knead. She gave in to the pleasure and laid her head back onto a rock hard chest. A mouth she could not see claimed hers and an invisible finger slid inside her. She gasped as she was pushed into the wall and her butt cheeks were pulled apart. Mystery moaned as her demon lover’s shaft slowly sank into her butt. He drove it deeper and deeper with each thrust. She leaned her head back and he kissed her long and hard.
She let her head fall forward and enjoyed the sensation of being totally filled, gasping as he began pumping furiously. In his fever he grabbed her arms, pulling them behind her and using them to pull her back to meet each thrust. She smiled as she heard an unearthly growl echo around the shower stall. He continued to pump and Mystery started to pant as heat spread throughout her limbs. A sudden explosion of pleasure rocked her to the core, leaving her breathless. She closed her eyes and sighed as a primitive shout of triumph vibrated through the air. He pulled her head back and plundered her mouth with one last kiss.
The air stilled around her and Mystery was alone. She turned off the shower, toweled off as she returned to her room and sat down on her bed. Mournful sobs filled the room and Mystery was shocked to realize they came from her. She pulled her knees up to her and rested her head on them. Around her the air began to change again.
“Hello, Father.” She said without looking up.
Cain came and sat beside her on the bed. He gently squeezed her knee. “Hello, daughter.” He ran long fingers through her ebony hair.
Mystery sighed and stood. She hugged herself as she stared out the window. Without turning around she asked, “How is my son?”
“He is fine, daughter.” He rose and went to her. “Will today be the day he gets to see his mother?” He placed his hands on her shoulders and his chin rested on the top of her head.
Mystery gasped as a feeling of love jolted through her. She turned to look him in the eyes. They were sad and full of love and longing.
“Yes, my child, we feel love too.” He stepped back. “It is different than mortal love, but love nonetheless.” He raised her chin so she was looking at him. “We’re running out of
time, my child. If you don’t come home before Roodmas, your grandfather has ordered me to destroy you and your men. He will order me to destroy the witch and the mortal cop. Please say yes.” He was pleading.
“And if I do”, she turned away, “what happens to them?” she pointed out the window.
“Father, will train you and the Roodmasi will continue for years to come. The final battle is a long way off.” He said as he began to hope.
“The prophecy?” Mystery interrupted.
“Is a tale told to small children through the generations to give them hope. To let them know the Roodmasi will rule the world, someday.” He smoothed her hair. “Nothing is decided yet, but having you would sure help tip the scales in our favor.”
“If I come, can you promise me the safety of Felicity, Mary Kate, Sam, Ryan, and Seth?” She took her father’s achingly handsome face in her hands, “What will happen to them?”
