by Tanya Simon
“Melody McGinnis, MSNBC, Mr. President. Does this mean homosexual marriages will be legalized?”
“Yes, Ms. McGinnis. Based on their constitutional rights to the pursuit of happiness, same sex marriages will be recognized legally.” He pointed at a black gentleman in a conservative dark blue suit.
“William Trasker, CNN, Mr. President. Will the word God be removed from all legal tender and documents?”
“Yes, Mr. Trasker. The new currency has been minted and distribution will begin next month. The old currency will be pulled in, in an orderly fashion to avoid economic panic. Eventually, all religious references will be removed from public places, save churches, synagogues, mosques, etc.” He pointed at an older white man.
“Chester Simms, CBS News, Mr. President. How do you answer the questions circulating as to your religious affiliations?”
“Mr. Simms,” he looked around the room. “All members of the press, and citizens of our great nation. I will answer the question and afterwards, my religious beliefs will not be open for discussion. As I stated in my speech, religion will no longer be debated on the taxpayers’ dollars. I am a Theistic Satanist.” At the gasps and the influx of reporters calling out to be heard from, he simply raised his hands until quiet returned. “Which is my own personal business and no longer appropriate for discussion on a national level. My religious beliefs, Traylor Addams’ religious beliefs, weren’t necessary for us to do our jobs, and this will continue to be the case. This nation will never be held back by religious intolerance again.” He pointed at a small woman wearing a designer purple suit.
“Narcissa Langdon, ABC News, Mr. President. And who will your selection for vice president be?”
“The decision was made last night and the senate and the house confirmed it this morning. My vice presidential choice is the well-known philanthropist, Cain Natasson, who made a bid for the Democratic Party vote against the late Traylor Addams. Cain is not available today for questioning due to a death in his family. He will be speaking with you at a later date.” He straightened his jacket. “I will take one more question.” He pointed at Narcissa again. “Yes, Ms. Langdon.”
“I know not all of our state representatives will agree with this…new direction. How will this be handled?”
“Those who are unwilling to get on board have tendered their resignations and will be replaced in special elections to be held next week. Thank you for attending this conference. Good day.” He ignored the calls and flashes and left the dais.
He walked into the Oval Office, followed closely by Doris. Raevanne sat behind the desk.
“Excuse us, please, Doris.”
“Yes, Shivana.” She bowed and left the room.
Eric walked to the desk. “May I sit down, Shivana?”
“Certainly.” She waited until he was seated. “You were brilliant, Eric.”
“Thank you, Shivana. Is Cain done with his task?”
“All senators, representatives, mayors, etc. Who refused to, how did you put it? Ah, yes, get on board; which was surprisingly few will disappear from the public eye.” She smiled. “You and others, who will make themselves known to you, will begin changing the laws to support our aims.”
“My Shivana, I want to succeed. However, I am not certain how fast to move things forward.”
“Cain will help you with that. You will do an excellent job as always.” She stood and went around sitting on the desk. “Does Doris meet your needs?” Her green eyes twinkled.
“Yes. Not only is she superb in the bedroom, she is quite efficient as an aide.”
“Good.” She stood. “Continue with the immediate changes. I will have your cabinet here in the morning. Cain should join you some time tomorrow afternoon." She kissed his cheek. "We are quite pleased with you. May Satan guide your steps always?”
“And yours, my Shivana.”
He bowed his head and prayed for guidance and patience.
Within days of the new presidency, hate crimes doubled. The false god’s children battled in the streets with their bible burning atheist neighbors. The Klan had marched on every major southern city’s City Hall demanding the homosexual, race traitor, sinner be removed from office. Instead of protesting peacefully, the GLBT COALITION and NAACP attacked the Klan. Martial law was in effect in just about every city south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The government labeled the Klan as anti-American and a possible terrorist threat and they used military might to find and destroy every Klan cell they could locate. There was an award being offered for information, which led to the arrest or termination of any and all Klan members. Militia forces were wiped out in the first month of the new presidency. The Black Panthers, the Gray Ghosts, AIM, and any other group organized to either show intolerance of others or to stop intolerance of others was under fire. The GLBT COALITION and the NAACP, as well as the ACLU were left to further their aims.
In the first month, gay marriages and prostitution were made legal in every state. Gambling casinos opened on almost a daily basis. Sex and swingers clubs took up residence right next to churches. Natural narcotics such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, hashish and opium were legalized. Synthetics stayed illegal. The murder rate doubled in all cities with a population of 500,000 or more. The death penalty was abolished and most life sentences were being heard before parole boards.
Within three months, the leaders of the Western world had been replaced with Roodmasi. Each day saw their legal systems showing the change. United States troops landed in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales and assisted them in taking back their Countries. Relations between England and the United States began to crumble due to the US interference in British affairs. As the Roodmasi took over the British government, relations smoothed out again. France fought Roodmasi rule the hardest of any of the western countries, however they too eventually fell in blood and death. A new sense of tolerance was soon smothered by the increasing use of force to bring governments under what was being labeled Equalized Rule.
Mystery was sitting at her mother’s desk doing the mundane chore of going over the books. She had been astonished at the financial resources of just her coven. It made her dizzy when she thought of the combined wealth of all the covens.
She frowned as a twinge in her abdomen, made her lose her place. She started the column over again, when another twinge took her breath away. She grabbed her protruding belly and bellowed for Juliet.
“Yes, Princess.” Juliet hurried into the room.
“I’m in labor. Please notify my parents.” Mystery stood and visualizing her chamber she disappeared. Juliet mentally sought out her Shivana and Cain, when she located them she told them their child would soon give birth. She too, disappeared. Juliet helped Mystery into bed. She called for the midwife. She soothed Mystery by taking some of the pain into herself.
Raevanne appeared in the chamber at the same time as Cain. They both rushed over to her and hugged her. Raevanne booted Cain out as the midwife arrived. The midwife examined Mystery and announced the child was ready to push her way into the world. Raevanne pushed Mystery up and sat behind her. Juliet stood by with the tools the midwife would need. And the midwife settled her old bones into position to take the child.
Cain paced the hall outside the chamber, waiting, listening for his granddaughter. Soon, an infuriated cry filled the air and he could hear the happy weeping of his women. The old midwife came to the door and bid him to come in. He looked at the beautiful baby, with her full head of black hair and her midnight blue eyes, and smiled. She was perfect. Cain kissed his daughter’s forehead and kissed his wife. Juliet gently took the baby so she could be cleaned and consecrated to the Master as she had done hundreds of times before.
“And what shall you call her, Princess?”
“Her name is Kasdeya. I saw the name in The Book of Swords. She was a powerful Shivana. She kept the Roodmasi hidden during the Witch Trials.”
Raevanne kissed the squirming infant’s forehead. “It is a powerful name. Wear it well my grandd
aughter.”
Juliet and the midwife left with Kasdeya.
“I will go tell Father the child has been born.” Cain stood and disappeared.
“I love you, my child.” Raevanne helped Mystery into the special bath the midwife had prepared. She helped her bathe and she settled her under the fresh linen a maid had put on the bed. “Sleep well.”
“I love you, Mother.” Mystery replied as she drifted off to sleep.
Cain arrived outside the throne room. He smiled as the succubus’ screams of ecstasy came from within. After a couple of hours, the door opened and the dark-haired succubus stumbled out. Cain swallowed his chuckle and went in. After bowing, he stood and smiled at his father.
“And why are you so happy my son?”
“Mystery gave birth to a perfect girl child, she has named her Kasdeya.” Cain’s smile was huge.
“Melusine is well?” Satan rarely called Mystery by any other name.
“Yes.”
“Marvelous.” He stood and put his hands on his son’s shoulders. “What I have to say will be hard for you to hear.”
Cain’s smile faded and he braced himself.
“On the night of the Ascension, the other child must die.” He held his hands up when Cain tried to speak. “I know this will be hard, but it must be. It is possible if he is allowed to live, he may be a threat once he comes into his powers. Do not tell Raevanne or Melusine until you must. Also, attacks against this Ryan must stop, for he must die at the Ascension ceremony with Lilith and her mortal lover.”
“Lilith? I have never liked her, but she has served you, Father, since before I was born.”
“She has fallen in love with a mortal and she will choose him and the priest, over us.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Though it will be hard for you. It is critical you not tell your women. Melusine will turn on you and you will have to destroy her. By the time of the Ascension her love of Kasdeya will blind her to anything else.”
“Yes, Father.”
“We are almost there my son. After thousands of years, an untold number of defeats, and eons of pain for my kingdom, we are mere months from victory!” Satan glowed with unholy light.
“I am glad the time is at hand.” Cain murmured.
“Ah, my son. His death will be quick and painless.”
“I do not know if I can do it.”
“You are my son, my greatest triumph. You will make me proud, when the time comes.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Now go and congratulate my granddaughter.”
“Yes, Father.” Cain left. He wasn’t smiling anymore.
Sam sensed letting go, might be his only salvation. He tried to buy the neat, tidy little package he had been handed him in Simon Thomas. He tried to lose his uneasiness and go with the flow. But somehow his mind and heart just couldn’t agree and he kept looking through the files every morning. He knew he had other cases. Other victims needed him to find their murderers, but he couldn’t leave the fifteen murdered teenage girls with the sickeningly sweet smiles on their bloated faces and their psychotic alleged killer alone. The department as a whole was very busy thanks to the new presidency. Each day saw more cases pile up on his desk. Other precincts were asking for assistance. The mayor was talking about forming a citywide Violent Crimes Task Force. The world was still going nuts and somehow only he could see it wasn’t the natural order of things.
So, he spent each night in the bliss of Lily’s arms, and his days trying to make sense of the escalating violence. Hopefully, somewhere in between the two he could figure out what was wrong and fix it. He knew he was forgetting something very important, but no matter how hard he searched his brain, he couldn’t bring it into focus.
He knew deep in his heart if he didn’t figure it out soon, the world might never recover, the darkness would continue to spread until it was all there was.
Lily had no doubt she would be punished for even asking, but she loved Sam enough to risk Satan’s fury, to save Sam’s life. She told herself it was fatigue from holding her human form that had her knees shaking, not fear. Satan had never kept her waiting in his outer chamber this long. Nor had she ever noticed the smell of frying flesh and feces hanging heavily in the air. She had never been repulsed by the faces of her fellow demons in their natural state, or disgusted by the pleas of human souls begging for the torture to stop. Lilith knew she had changed, but she didn’t know if she was truly ready to leave this world; it was all she had ever known. Yet, Sam was all she would ever want in a man; giving, loving, he worshipped her every curve, nook, and cranny. She would even become mortal to live a life with him.
She took a deep breath. After a brief punishment, Satan would let her go. After all, she had faithfully served him for eight thousand years. Lily jumped when the rock to the inner chamber slid back and Nergal; Satan’s Chief of Security stepped through.
“Lilith, he’s ready for you now.” He stepped forward and drew her in for a kiss.
Lilith tried not to gag as his slimy forked tongue slithered into her mouth. She simply smiled as she walked through the opening.
“I chose my human form, since our natural state upsets you, Lily.”
Lilith whirled around to find her master reclining on a rock, watching her with glowing blue eyes. He smiled and beckoned for her. She nervously went to him, head bowed.
“I’ve missed you, my sweet.” He locked his fingers in her long red tresses and pulled her head up and back, and pressed his cold hard lips to hers.
Ashamed, Lilith kissed him back. Disgusted, she felt her pulse quicken and her breathing catch. She moaned involuntarily when his hand slipped inside her dress and pulled it down. Her head fell back as his mouth closed on her nipple, pulling slightly. He chuckled at her reaction and bent her trembling body over the nearest rock. Tenderly he caressed her smooth back, cupped her bottom and plowed into her. His laughter echoed off the cavern walls as he thrust into her hard and steady, making her pant. Lilith moaned and still he hammered into her savagely. When she was sure she could stand no more, he threw back his head and roared into the putrid air.
“Oh, Lilith, how I’ve missed you!” He said as he nibbled her neck. “What is it that brings you home, my sweet?” He reached out to lovingly stroke her long, wavy hair.
Lilith swallowed hard.
“There’s no reason to be afraid, is there?” He kissed her forehead with cold, dry lips.
She made herself stop wringing her hands. “Will you spare Sam’s life?”
His hand tightened in her hair and he pulled her head back, he focused eyes, which glowed, on her, as if seeing her for the first time. “You love this mortal?” His voice trembled with rage.
Lilith tried not to flinch, and returned his stare. “Yes, Master. Yes I do.” She dared to touch his face. “Please, please, I’ll do anything, let him live.” She let go and lowered her hands, resuming the wringing. “He doesn’t even remember everything that happened. He’s content and he’s not a threat.” She finished weakly.
“If I were to consider letting him live, what could you offer me I don’t already possess?”
Lilith swallowed her pride and all her hopes. “You can have his soul.”
“And how, my sweet, can you promise his soul?” He smirked.
“If I tell him what I am and that giving you his soul is the only way we can stay together. He’ll do it.” She tried to sound like her usual smug self.
“If not, my sweet, you will suffer.” He rose to grasp her arms. “If this Sam does not give me his soul willingly, I will give you to Nergal and his squad for all of eternity. Since, you have served me for eons.” He stroked her cheek. “If he does give you his soul, I will allow you to return to your former duties, as long as you do nothing to aid him or anyone else in workings against me. Lilith, listen closely and heed my words. If you help him or anyone else in workings against me or if you use your powers against your brothers and sisters, I will strip your flesh from your bone
s myself.” He squeezed her chin, until she reached a hand up to pull his away. “Do you understand, my sweet?”
