Solomon’s eyes flicked over to the younger man. “Ah, Helmut Krause is your name. You were indoctrinated in the Temple a scant ten years ago after being discharged from the military due to sexual liaisons with a number of children. Now you are but a bodyguard in the inner circle. A step down, don’t you think?”
Helmut’s index finger began to squeeze the trigger of the pistol. “How dare you! How did you know all this?”
The other man instantly froze when a mist-like form began to coalesce beside Solomon. “This ring gives me power over seventy-two geotic demons and they tell me all sorts of things,” he said before turning to face Orlok once more. “However, with what has happened in the world, it seems that it is better that we all put the past behind us since we now have a golden opportunity, not just to revel in our own power, but to rule over these lands as well.”
“Explain yourself,” Orlok said. “You cannot expect me to forgive and forget about what you’ve done when you still have the seal of King Solomon in your possession. Return it to me and perhaps I will then hear you out.”
Solomon shook his head. “You do not need the ring. As I have been told, it seems you have found your own pathway to power. I am aware that you have the Book of Toth in your possession, and it has enabled you to construct that staff you are holding onto.”
Orlok was taken aback. “Your… sources are very good. You have become a powerful sorcerer indeed. In fact, you may even have us at a disadvantage right now.”
Helmut Krause realized it as well as he said nothing while putting the gun back underneath his robes.
Solomon chuckled. “Ah, well when you have the ear of all these demons it does get noisy at times. Do you realize how hard it is to listen to anyone when there are a million droning and chattering insects trying to eat their way into your ear?”
“If you have come here to destroy or take over the Temple, all my followers are prepared to sell their lives dearly to protect me,” Orlok said.
“Actually, I would say only half of the twelve in your inner-circle would be willing to do that,” Solomon said wistfully. “The other six, especially Lear, Campos, and Real, will be more than willing to sacrifice you in order to spare their own lives if there was an opportunity for advancement as well.”
Orlok looked up at the ornately carved swastika in the high ceiling of the tower. “I… thank you for this piece of information. Perhaps I may have to do some culling within my own order after this meeting. It seems I may now have to relinquish my claim to the seal of Solomon in order to make peace with you, is that your offer?”
“I am willing to make restitution for taking this ring, Grand Magus,” Solomon said. “If we are to agree on this truce, then I will give you a gift in return—a most powerful present with which to build your powerbase in this country so that even the government itself would not dare to act against you.”
“The German government is already powerless to act. With the threats of the Fomorians in the west and the giants in the frozen north, they have too much to worry about rather than having to deal with me.”
Solomon shook his head again. “Ah, that is where you are wrong, Orlok. Already there is talk within the chancellor’s office of conducting a heavily armed raid on this castle. They know about you and your magical order. You may be able to resist the first wave but not the next. Many of your followers will die.”
“And how do I know what you are telling me is the truth? Perhaps this is just one of your little tricks in order to leverage this negotiation on your terms?”
“Look at me, Orlok,” Solomon said. “Do I not look younger than the last time we met?”
“So you had plastic surgery. So what?”
Solomon began to lose his patience. “This is not plastic surgery! My infernal servants have granted me newfound youth and power! This can be yours as well. I know for a fact that you are dying. A stroke will incapacitate you within the next month and your beloved Temple will wither and die without your magical guidance. I have foreseen this.”
Orlok took a deep breath. There were times in the past year that he felt pain in his forehead and a growing fear that something was going to happen to him. “Perhaps there may be some truth in your words after all. What is it that you propose?”
“I offer you a gift for compensation, but I must have your word and solemn oath that this magical war of ours is finished,” Solomon said. “Germany shall be yours. I will take over southern Europe.”
“I have heard that the Pope is now speaking in blasphemous tongues and scaring his followers at the Vatican with his strange behavior. Is that any of your doing?”
“Yes, I paid him a visit a few weeks ago and converted the entire Holy See to do my bidding. I would say he has about three or four of my demons inside of him now so that would explain his mood swings and differing personalities depending on the time of day. The Vatican will be my seat of power here on Earth. Yours is right here in the Wewelsburg. Together as allies, we will be unassailable against the last remaining governments of Europe. I could destroy you as easily as I did the Catholics, but I would rather have you on my side as per an alliance of mutual defense. We have the same outlook, after all.”
Helmut snorted in disgust. “You want the Temple as a bulwark against an attack from your north, is that it? I bet you would sacrifice us the moment things turned against you.”
Solomon shrugged. “I have no doubt the Temple would do the same to me if faced with a similar predicament. However, I can give you the means with which to protect yourselves further if you decide on this alliance. But I want your answer now, Grand Magus.”
“I would first like to know about this gift of yours,” Orlok said. “You seem to know that I do not have much time left in this world even though the events have finally favored our kind, so if you wish to be an ally, you must help me extend my life and then you will have the bargain that you seek.”
Solomon snapped his fingers. A rectangular stone box began to materialize near the edge of the sunken stage. Helmut gasped. Orlok noticed that it looked like a coffin of some sort. Within a few minutes, the shadowy sarcophagus fully coalesced and settled down gently on the stone floor. Helmut walked over to it and started to examine it. The receptacle itself seemed to be made of polished black stone and there was a heavy lid on top of it.
Orlok turned quizzically to Solomon. “What is that thing?”
Solomon smiled slightly. “Have your manservant open it and find out.”
With a nod from the Grand Magus, Helmut’s muscular arms grasped the lid and he tried to lift it, but it was much too heavy so the former soldier began to push the lid sideways so it would just slide off. After a few minutes of pushing and grunting, the top of the box finally moved and the black stone lid fell off over the side, shattering into a million pieces on the stone floor of the Crypt. Orlok moved as quickly as he could while using his magical staff as a cane. The Grand Magus of the Temple let out a soft cry of surprise as he peered into the contents of the box.
It was a teenage girl. She looked to be around fifteen or sixteen, and was wearing a white gown of some sort. She appeared to be in a deep slumber as she lay inside the stone box.
Orlok turned to look at Solomon once more. “Who is she?”
“Her name is Tara Weiss,” Solomon said. “She is an American from Arizona and my gift to you.”
“Your gift? This girl is to be exchanged for the seal of Solomon? Is this some sort of joke? We have two other girls just like her chained in the dungeons underneath this castle, waiting for their time to be sacrificed!”
Solomon rolled his eyes. “That girl is special. She has traveled to the Otherworld and she can converse with the gods. In fact, both her and another child were able to defeat the machinations of Okeus and prevented him from being reborn in New York City.”
Orlok nodded. “Wait, I had observed that incident in my witching bowl. So this is the child that tricked Okeus? Then she is quite powerful indeed. How did you capture her?”
“One of my demons told me of their imminent arrival back to Siberia, where the other child was from. I merely alerted the authorities there and they were the ones who seized her. A few days later, they attempted to transport her by land to Moscow, but I had several of my demons intercept that convoy and bring her to me.”
“I see. What about the other child?”
“The other child is a Russian orphan named Ilya Volkhov. I believe he is still in the custody of the Russian government. Either way, he is out of the picture.”
“Very well. Then her life essences must be very powerful if she has traveled to the other side, yes?”
“Yes, I have had my demons extract a portion of her life power and I have fed on it,” Solomon said. “It has made me even more powerful as of late. Once you have extracted but a tiny portion, I can guarantee that your medical symptoms will disappear and you shall have years added to your lifespan.”
Orlok tapped the sides of the stone coffin. A smile had finally made its way to his face. “You have proven your worthiness to the Temple, Solomon. You can count on us as your ally from here on. The magical war between us is over. You have my word and my oath as Grand Magus of the Temple of the Black Sun.”
“That is good. Then our business here is concluded.”
“Wait, I have a few more questions for you.”
“Then speak them now for my time is short,” Solomon said.
“If this girl is that powerful as you say, why relinquish her to me?”
“A few reasons. The first is for safekeeping. I do not yet have a secure abode with which to keep her so I figured that this is the best place to do so. She must be watched carefully at all times by a pair of your most trusted followers to make sure she does not wake from the spell I placed on her.”
“I will see to it,” Orlok said. “What are the other reasons?”
“The second is already obvious. I wanted to placate you for the loss of the seal so I exchanged her for that. I need your body to be strong again, Orlok. She will give you the means to do that. I will need as many allies as I can to stave off the other gods in order to hold on to my territory.”
Orlok nodded. “Then you have my thanks. From now on, you are welcome here.”
A fog began to form around Solomon as his body began to dematerialize. “Good. I may call upon you in the future as I’m sure you will me as well.”
“I look forward to our next meeting,” Orlok said. “Goodbye.”
Within minutes, Solomon’s form quickly faded from view until there were only a few wisps of rapidly disappearing smoke. Orlok wondered if the person they spoke to was nothing more than a simulacrum of Solomon just in case they made an attempt to kill him. Either way, he needed to consult with the book of Toth again. This time, he needed to strengthen the magical wards around the castle to prevent spirits from entering as well.
Helmut walked over and stood beside him once more. “What shall we do now, Grand Magus?”
Orlok crossed his arms. “First, you are to summon the inner circle here. Right now. We have to make another culling. Upon my word, you will execute Lear, Campos, and Real. One shot each to the head will suffice. The other three in the circle who are disloyal to me will be sacrificed along with the rest of the virgins by midnight. If they protest, rip out their tongues. I shall have no disloyalty to my leadership.”
“Very well, Grand Magus,” Helmut said. “Did you believe Solomon as to his reasons why he has gifted this girl to us?”
Orlok shook his head. “Not all of it. I’m sure he might be using this Tara as a sort of weapon that could be used against us should our alliance begin to fray. Either way, we must enact additional rituals and spells to make sure she does not wake. In fact, I think I may try to turn her to our side.”
“That is a good idea, Grand Magus.”
Orlok laughed. It was just a matter of time before he would be young again. Already, he could feel the sense of power beginning to course through him. “Yes, we will make our own plans. Even though Solomon knows we possess the Book of Toth, I don’t think he knows all the spells that I have studied, nor does he know that we posses one other artifact that can turn the tide for us. There is one particular spell that I think will prove very useful for us now.”
“What spell is that, Grand Magus?”
“I shall tell you soon enough. In the meantime, ready your pistol. There are a number of people in our order that will need to be sacrificed tonight.”
10. Independence
Kansas
“My fellow Americans, it is with heavy heart that I must tell you of this sad but hopeful news. It is with great regret that I announce the formal secession of the State of Kansas from the United States of America. Along with Governor Lloyd Mallory, the moral people of this once great country have chosen me to lead this very Christian state to become an independent and sovereign nation because of the corruption and vile godlessness of the Federal Government. We did try our best to work with the politicians in Washington but it is through their utter rejection of the values that we have held on to so dear as God fearing Christians that we make this most drastic but inevitable of decisions. The apocalypse that is all around us is a direct result of our Federal government’s rejection of the fundamental principles of Christianity, the one tenet that will save all our souls from the hell that has manifested itself on Earth. Only through our Lord Jesus Christ can any of us find salvation and redemption from the forces of Satan. Only through the full faith in the Lord can we all be saved.”
Pastor Erik Burnley was standing at the podium as he looked directly into the camera. The sound stage was brightly lit, and he could barely keep himself from sweating as the makeup crew would dab his forehead with tissues and handkerchiefs in between takes. The building’s air conditioning system had been on the blink for the past two weeks but there were more pressing concerns for the few qualified electrical technicians that they had in the compound. Although the dress shirt underneath his royal blue suit was freshly pressed and starched to the stiffness of cardboard, the sweat pouring down his neck was beginning to stain the collar.
“The Rock of God Church has stood alone as the vanguard against the forces of evil and we are now in command of all military and police forces in the state of Kansas. We have recently formed our own military organization called the Soldiers of the Lord, or SOL for short. This brave army of fully qualified volunteers, many of whom have had previous military and police experience, will serve as the backbone and the protectors of this great new country of ours, the sovereign independent country of Christian Kansas. I must also tell you that we have been in constant negotiations with the Federal Government, but they refuse to heed our calls for secession and subsequent independence, and so it was with great reluctance that myself and Governor Mallory initiated a military operation to secure a small stockpile of nuclear warheads in order to defend our holy state against those that wish to persecute our religious beliefs. To this end, our small but glorious country now has a powerful nuclear deterrent that we shall only ever use as a last resort should the enemy attempt to conquer us. To those that wish us harm, I shall say this: leave us alone and leave us in peace to await our Lord Jesus Christ’s return. We are the Lord’s chosen children and we will fight in his name if need be for we are not afraid because he is with us!”
Pastor Erik paused for a moment in order to let the words sink in.
“To this end our church leadership has agreed through mutual consent, that I shall serve as this country’s president for the time being. This so-called Glooming is an extraordinary crisis that has affected the entire world and we are living in the most perilous of times. Governor Lloyd Mallory has graciously accepted the dual positions of vice president and Secretary of Defense in order to streamline the functions of our new government so that we can make rapid and informed decisions in order to properly govern and defend this new country of ours to the best of our abilities. There are no plans to set up a congressional body at this time so
any new laws that we create will be through mutual agreement with the church leadership committee. The fundamental principles that our country’s new constitution will be based on is the teachings of the bible: namely that the Ten Commandments as well as all the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ will be part of our country’s laws; the Rock of God Church and the government of Kansas will be one and the same, just as our lord intended it to be. The Kansas sovereign government shall be handing out copies of our new constitution in the next few days to anyone who wishes to look at it. We will be posting the articles of government on all the public billboards throughout the state for our citizen’s perusal very shortly.”
Governor Lloyd Mallory and his wife stood in front of the small crowd of people just behind the cameras. They clasped each other’s arms and silently wept with joy as the fruits of their faith were at last being brought forth and into the reality of the world. Pastor Erik smiled slightly as he resisted the urge to wink at them since the video was still recording his speech live.
“Our new country’s leadership will now be taking steps to secure this new sovereign land under the guidance of our unshakable faith. The first declaration is that anyone who is not of the Christian denomination must leave the state within forty-eight hours or face arrest and forced deportation. The same goes for all homosexuals. We are now a united people under one faith and that one true faith is Christianity. If there are others of a different faith that wish to convert to the one true religion of our Lord Jesus Christ, then please go to the nearest state church and request baptism for yourself and any other members of your family who would be willing to bare their souls for our Lord. All state churches will be open all day and all night for you, all you have to do is to surrender to the Lord and your soul will be saved from the hellfire that is spreading all over this world. The second declaration is the complete outlawing of all abortions; all of these murder clinics are to be closed down effective immediately. As to the doctors and nurses who perform these murderous deeds they have but less than a day to leave the confines of our country or they shall face the Lord’s immediate and implacable wrath. The third declaration is the establishment of morality councils- these committees will be staffed by the most pious of all our Christian brothers and they are to determine whether one’s individual actions are sinful or not. Each county will have several morality councils in order to make sure that each and every one of us follows the Lord’s teachings and not to stray from it; although I have said that our Lord would return quite soon, I cannot tell you the exact moment when that will happen so we must still remain vigilant and obey his teachings lest we sin and get cast out of his kingdom before the final battle.”
Canticum Tenebris (Wrath of the Old Gods Book 2) Page 12
