Canticum Tenebris (Wrath of the Old Gods Book 2)

by John Triptych

Mary sighed. “Well, I just wanted to see what your team has been up to. It’s been almost a week since you made your last request, so I figured you must be getting close to whatever it is that you’re doing.”

  “We’ve all been working round the clock,” Valerie said. “No one on the team has gotten much sleep lately.”

  “Perhaps it’s better that I explain what this whole project is about,” Paul said before turning his head and gesturing to one of the women manning a nearby workstation. “Sheila? Could you come over here for a minute?”

  A tall woman, dressed in office wear with a pair of large, thick glasses and brown curly hair, came over to them. “Paul, we’ve uploaded the last algorithms into the system. We can expect the results any minute now,” she said.

  “That’s great,” Paul said as he gestured at Mary. “Sheila Giraud, this is Ms. Mary Arctor, the Secretary of Defense. She’s here to look at our progress.”

  Sheila beamed as she shook Mary’s hand. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t notice you, ma’am. I was distracted by what we’ve been doing.”

  Mary had a quizzical look on her face. “It’s really no problem. I just came over to see what everybody’s been doing even though I have no idea what it’s about.”

  “I’ll give you the short version,” Paul said. “We’ve gotten proof that a demon of some sort had materialized in this very place and now we’re trying to find a way to bring it back here.”

  Marry nodded slowly. “I see, is this what you want me to tell our government that’s been holed up in Raven Rock and facing an outright civil war? That we’ve spent all our resources on some sort of magic trick?”

  “Oh, it’s not a trick,” Sheila said. “We’ve made huge breakthroughs in the last few days. We’re just now starting to figure out the logic behind magic and so forth.”

  “Logic behind magic? I thought magic had no logic to it,” Mary said to her. “Wait, your name is seems familiar to me. Was your father a certain Professor Giraud?”

  “Yes, he taught advanced mathematics at Harvard,” Sheila said. “I think he was the reason I got recruited to the NSA after I graduated high school and ended up on one of the teams for the Consolidated Cryptologic Program.”

  “Okay,” Mary said to her before turning to look at Paul. “You are claiming to study magic, yet you’ve basically drafted the entire cryptanalysis team that the FBI has available and you’ve got the NSA’s intranet, which is a closed network with unlimited access to data, at your complete disposal. You’re making it seem like this magic … is some sort of mathematical problem.”

  Paul smiled. “We believe that magic is in fact, a sort of algorithm.”

  “What? You’ve lost me.”

  “In mathematical terms, an algorithm is a set of step by step instructions,” Sheila said. “It’s an exact formula that must be performed to either solve a problem, or to come up with a solution. What we’ve discovered is that there is a sort of science to it. The first step was to upload all the so-called books of magic that the suspect had possessed into our database, and then see if we could weed out anything that truly wasn’t magical until we were left with the actual steps to perform true spells.”

  “But I thought all those occult books were crap,” Mary said. “All they could do was to fire up one’s imagination. How could you possibly find a real magic spell that works in all that?”

  “Because we have an actual working model as our guide,” Paul said as he pointed to an alcove. “We discovered an authentic demonic signature that was written on the far side of that wall over there. It was made using demon blood. We’re pretty sure that’s where the demon materialized along with the museum suspect. We also found esoteric symbols and glyphs from the old tree trunk that housed that worm. So all we had to do was to find similarities between the writing that the demon made on that wall with anything that we have in the occult database. These demons have their own sort of code and that’s why I requested the nation’s top cryptographers to come here and join me in decoding their hidden language. If we can find out the demon’s name and the steps it takes to summon it, we will have made a major breakthrough.”

  “Assuming that this is all on the level, how close are you?”

  Sheila clapped her hands in excitement. “We’re almost there! First of all, we think we know the demon’s name. Second of all, we think we’ve finally pieced together most of the incantation spell that will bring it to that area.” She then pointed to man-sized glass enclosure towards the rear of the hall.

  Mary saw that there was some sort of mystical diagram that was written on the floor of the glass cage. “What is that? Some sort of devil circle?”

  “It’s a variant of the Sigillum Dei,” Paul said. “Also known as the Seal of God. It’s a magical diagram composed of a pentagram, an outer circle, and three heptagons. The symbols written all over it is supposed to be the name of God and his angels. Legend says that whoever could construct the true seal would have power over all creatures except the angels. What we’ve found after comparing the symbols with a cryptanalysis of the demon’s mark is that the name in the circle is in fact the names of demons. With the new information we have, we then went ahead and altered the dimensions of the diagram to conform to its proper size. We then removed any non-magical glyphs and replaced them with the true symbols that we deciphered.”

  “What do you hope to achieve with that?”

  “That glass cage should entrap the demon once we’ve summoned it. Once we have properly detained it then we can try to find out whatever we can in regards to finding a solution to the problems that the whole country is facing,” Paul said.

  “It will be just like interrogating a suspect,” Valerie said. “If we could compel any of these supernatural beings to answer our questions, it will go a long way towards ending this whole crisis.”

  “That’s a big if,” Mary said.

  Right after she said those words, there was a shout that came from one of the cryptanalysis teams. Agent Lawrence Johnson quickly grabbed a piece of paper from them and then ran over to Paul and his group. “I think you might want to read this,” Johnson said before handing the paper over to Paul.

  Paul looked at it and smiled before handing it over to Valerie and Sheila. “That’s it. We’ve cracked the last part of the incantation. We can begin.”

  In less than an hour, the entire basement level was evacuated, save for two people and a multitude of recording devices. Paul and Valerie stood in front of the glass enclosure while the rest of the team were on the floor above. The FBI agents and special forces operators were all on alert with their weapons on the ready as they observed the two below from concealed firing positions. Mary and her bodyguards were closer to the entrance of the museum as they watched the proceedings remotely from the security room.

  Valerie glanced at her wristwatch as she stood beside Paul. “It’s almost midnight. The start of the witching hour.”

  “That’s pretty ironic,” Paul said. “Are you sure you want to stay with me down here? It could get pretty dangerous since I’ve never done this before.”

  Valerie did a brass check on her Glock pistol, making sure that there was a round in the chamber, before putting it back on her hip holster. Although she was offered more powerful weapons by the FBI, Valerie declined. She figured that if a gun couldn’t stop the thing that they were about to summon, then everything else they had would equally be just as useless. “For better or for worse, I’m sticking with you from now on.”

  Despite the fact that he was nervous, Paul looked at her closely and smiled. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying, Val?”

  She winked back at him. “Let’s get through this first and then we can talk seriously about us.”

  “Okey dokey,” Paul said as he stepped forward and took out a small bottle of an amber colored fluid from his trouser pocket. The container held Abramelin oil, a ceremonial potion blended from aromatic plants and used in magical rituals. Although Paul followed the traditional recipe
of blending myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, and galangal root, he deviated by using distilled demon’s blood that they had scrapped off from the glyphs on the wall and combined it with the bark of the old tree trunk from Hatteras. Paul carefully poured the magical oil around the enclosure until it formed a complete circle. Then he walked back over to where Valerie was.

  Valerie looked up at Sheila who was in the upper floor behind a pile of sandbags. The NSA agent smiled back at her and gave the thumbs up sign. That indicated that all the remote cameras were working fine.

  Paul started an incantation in Latin and then started speaking in what seemed to be gibberish. He held up a clipboard that contained the encrypted words of some mysterious language that no one on Earth had previously understood. As soon as he was finished, Paul placed the clipboard on the folding table to his side and held out his hands. Then he began a number of palm gestures that he had practiced with just two days before. Paul’s arms and hands began gyrating back and forth. “By the power vested in me, I call forth the demon that had manifested itself in this place. The past, present, and future are all one. I call upon the demon’s true name: Dantalion, the seventy-first spirit!”

  Valerie could see that some sort of strange mist started to form in the glass cage in front of them. She instinctively started to rub the jade Aztec charm on her neck, while her other hand clasped a small vial of holy water that was in her pants pocket. Her mother Josefina had given it to her just a few days ago, when Valerie told her what they were going to do. Within seconds, the ring of magical oil around the cage began to glow with a pale amber hue.

  “Dantalion!” Paul said. “Show yourself this instant! You cannot resist the summons! Reveal your true form!”

  Mary Arctor gripped the chair that she was sitting in and then leaned forward. The security office near the front of the museum had multiple video monitors that were keyed into the basement. Even with different angles they were all showing the same thing. Something had manifested itself within the enclosure. At first she couldn’t believe her eyes that it was happening. Everything that Paul claimed was coming true.

  “Oh my god, this can’t be real,” a female FBI agent who stood behind her said.

  “Shut up,” Mary said tersely as she kept her eyes glued to the monitors.

  The mist in the glass box soon became as tall as a man. Paul could see some sort of human-like form that shifted and shimmered as if it was trying to stay invisible. Valerie’s hand slid down from her neck and started to wrap itself around the Glock’s pistol grip.

  “Who dares summon me,” a voice coming from all around the room said. The sound carried so much power, it felt like the air was vibrating. Valerie could smell something sweet and sickly, like a combination of blood, honey, and vomit.

  Paul felt his knees weaken as if the demon was trying to intimidate him by sneer alone. He kept concentrating as he tried to remember the binding words to keep the creature in check. “You are compelled to do as I command, Dantalion! You are not to break free, for the circle of power hinders you. You are not to leave, for the words of might controls you. You are to obey, for I command you!”

  A tremendous roar reverberated across the entire room along with a powerful gust of wind that seemingly came from nowhere. Valerie cried out as she almost fell backwards but she was able to grip the side of the table right next to her. Paul nearly lost his balance as well but he had anticipated something was going to happen by bending his knees and leaning forward. The loose papers on the table had flown upwards to the upper floors as if sucked up by a miniature tornado. The fully armed men and women above them did not break cover as they continued to observe while tightly gripping their weapons. In a nearby corridor, a medical team dressed in hazmat suits, remained hidden as they crouched down near a display wall above.

  Paul could see the form clearly now. He wasn’t sure if the video feed saw the same thing, but the being looked like a ghostly young man wearing a smart business suit. The demon just seemed to float within a cloud of mist that filled the glass cage.

  “You must forgive me, master,” Dantalion said. His voice was like lilac and rose, but with a hint of hidden maleficence behind it. “It has been a long time since I have been summoned like this. What is it that you wish of me?”

  “First, you are to answer my questions,” Paul said. “And you are to state the truth and only the truth.”

  “But as with all things, master, there are many truths, just as there are many sides to every tale. Nevertheless, I shall answer you faithfully.”

  Paul nodded. He knew the truth could be twisted. And with a treacherous demon facing him, he knew he had to word his questions carefully. “Why have all the ancient gods and their servants returned to the world?”

  Dantalion giggled. “Many gods have many reasons. Some have returned for vengeance, others for power. You of all people should know this, Paul Dane.”

  Valerie clenched her fists as her eyes opened wide, but she said nothing and stood her ground. Her faith was being tested.

  Paul shuddered. He remembered that Dantalion was a great duke of hell and it could read their thoughts. He tried to empty his mind and concentrated on the script that he had memorized. If he didn’t stick to the plan, this whole encounter could go very badly for them. “The man who you had brought here to this place, is his name Seth Solomon?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where is he now?”

  “That depends. He travels a lot, mostly.”

  “From one part of the Earth to another?” Paul asked.

  “And in other worlds too. Such is the power of one who holds the ring.”

  “Then he has the seal of Solomon with him?”

  “Yes.”

  “What are his plans?”

  “He plans to take his first bath in weeks within the hour. Then he hopes to debauch himself on a few of the younger nuns later this evening.”

  Paul frowned. “So he is in a church? Where is this church that he is in right now?”

  “He is in the world’s largest church, and has its most powerful priest in his thrall.”

  Valerie was tempted to pull out her small notebook and to start taking notes, but she soon realized that it was already being done by the others who were watching. She, along with the rest of the team had been briefed by Paul that the summoned demon would be talking in half truths, and so it was important that they all remember and write down every minute detail that it spoke about.

  Paul fought the urge to smile as his questions were starting to bear fruit. The demon had a tremendous ego and if asked the right questions, it might divulge information that it wasn’t expected to. “The giant maggot that manifested itself here, why did it disappear?”

  “Because its old form was no longer needed,” Dantalion said. “It took on a new aspect.”

  “Was it because of our actions here?”

  The demon laughed. “What you did here was meaningless! Let me tell you, Okeus and Ahone were merged not through your silly actions, but rather because of the machinations of two children who traveled to the Otherlands. All those deaths that occurred here were for nothing. Nothing!”

  Valerie let out a deep breath that she had been holding for a long time. So many of her fellow cops died that day and now the sad truth came out. Their sacrifice had been pointless. But at least I prevented a nuclear weapon from obliterating half of Manhattan, she thought. That ought to count for something.

  Paul was onto something now and he knew it. “These children, were they from our world here?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “What are their names?”

  “The girl goes by Tara and the boy is named Ilya.”

  Paul thought about it for a minute. “The boy, is he from Russia?”

  “No.”

  “Ukraine then?”

  “No.”

  “Then where is he from?”

  Dantalion was getting impatient. “Siberia.”

  Paul rolled his eyes. This was taking longer tha
n expected, but his adrenaline kept him going. “The girl, Tara, where is she from?”

  “Scottsdale.”

  Several floors above them, Sheila Giraud was writing furiously on a yellow pad. Even though everything was being recorded using separate video and audio streams, she had a distinct feeling that it could all be erased and so she stuck to the old try and true method of writing by hand.

  “This girl, Tara,” Paul said. “How was she able to travel to these Otherlands?”

  “With the help of the trickster,” Dantalion said.

  Paul breathed deeply. “The trickster god? Which one of the tricksters is helping her?”

  The demon’s form shifted slightly as it became mistier. “How do you know that they are not all one god?”

  Paul thought about it for a few seconds before answering. “What is the name of the trickster that led her into the Otherlands?”

  “Bibsy.”

  Paul had a confused look on his face. “What? There is no such trickster god that I know of who has that name.”

  “That is what its master called it.”

  Paul growled. “I am not asking you what the others called it. I am asking you, what does it call itself?”

  Dantalion exhaled deeply. It knew it had lost this round of questioning. “Coyote. Sometimes Raven.”

  Paul couldn’t help but smile this time. He felt he was now gaining the upper hand. “So, Coyote the Trickster has helped her. Why did he do it?”

  “Because she gave him some chocolate.”

  Now it was Valerie’s turn to get confused. “What?”

  Paul cut her off with a wave of his hand. “So they are still together then, this Coyote and Tara? What are they doing now?”

  “They are …separated as of this moment.”

  “Explain.”

  “The girl has been taken … prisoner. The trickster is now with the boy and the warrior to try and find her.”

  “Taken prisoner? By who?”

  “The Temple.”

  Paul scratched his forehead. The information overload was almost too much but it was starting to make some sense now. “The Temple? You mean the Temple of the Black Sun?”