“Rex he'll be safe at the Palace. I think he could use the company,” she said, as she attempted to calm him with her energy. He nodded, and the ladies picked him up.
Solon approached the angry Prophet as the Mujāhidūn stood ready for him to act. Solon swatted at them as though he were offended at the notion.
“Perhaps it is wise to call the Great Awakening off. There is no unity to be had this day, and to awaken the sheeple would be disastrous. We, the Hidden, will have to not only fight against Angels, but millions of living dead. And I will not hesitate to destroy them,” Solon said, unemotionally.
The Prophet's face turned red. “The Great Awakening will happen as it is not up to you to dictate who can wield magic and who cannot!”
“I have spent ten centuries studying our sciences and I will not have a group of mindless sheeple destroy that which we covet,” Solon said walking off.
The Prophet was not moved by his threat and ordered the Mujāhidūn to seal the holes once Solon had walked through and was completely out of sight.
15
Baron Kriminel
Solon understood full well that the gravity of the angelic situation was getting heavy. His selfish intent, however, drove him to resolve his own problems first and foremost. Solon followed Nicky inconspicuously away from the temple as not to bring attention to themselves.
“What can I do for you?”
Solon hesitated before he answered as he was never quite sure of the intention of the Gentlemen of the Haze. After all, he couldn't read their faces beneath the bandages.
“As I understand it, you are in service of the Baron correct?”
Nicky grunted. “We were granted a second life courtesy of the Baron, yes. We do not however consider ourselves under his complete mastership,” Nicky replied with a slight attitude.
“No matter. The Baron wishes me to release Kriminel from Smyrna. And while I alone hold the key, the Magia have the prisons on constant watch. The only way to enter the realm of the seven prisons is by passing through Joachim and Boaz, which are housed at Temple Salamanca. They have seven watchmen which guard. They never sleep, you see. If I were to enter through the front door, it could pose a problem,” Solon said.
“What do you want from me?”
“The Oubliettes exist because you Gentlemen of the Haze took your science a bit too far. You constructed it with those wispy little hands of yours. Show me the back door so we both can be done with our problem,” Solon said.
“Why on Earth would you release Kriminel? He is a monster, if there is such a thing,” Nicky continued to pry.
“The Baron promises me my soul,” Solon said, before he thought about it. “Besides, if the Baron were to find out that you helped me, then you too would be in his favor. Perhaps, he would loosen his grip from around the neck of your Order.”
Nicky stood silently as he felt there was some truth behind it.
“Come then,” Nicky said, placing his hand on Solon's shoulder.
“Wait, I wish to take a few of my Rubedos with me,” he said.
They were joined by Johnny Dee, Dosos, and Killian; each of whom looked very suspicious. Nicky knew he was in a bit of a pickle and transported them back to the Gentlemen's laboratory where Gregor and George sat reading books and playing Tetris.
They both looked up, glasses sitting upon their wrapped faces awaiting an answer as to why a group of Alchemists were there. Nicky escorted him to their ritual room.
The walls were painted black, the floor white with a large fleur-de-lis in the center. Gregor and George peeked their heads in but Nicky closed the door. The Gentlemen stared at one another, wondering, but did not pry.
“Stand in the circle. Do not step out until I instruct you to do so,” Nicky instructed as he surrounded the Alchemists in a red powder; its smell was foul and they frowned their faces as it passed by their noses.
“What is this?” Dosos asked.
“This is a flying powder made by the Keepers. The strong scent is one you should breathe in deeply, slowly. The main ingredient is Datura. This herb takes the Reapers three years to cultivate properly, but the only one of its kind that . It allows one to fall into an altered state of consciousness which opens the mind to the Outerworlds. You chemics have mastered the elements, but we Gentlemen covet time. Like the gold around your necks, so too is time a tangible thing and we shall walk up on it. Tempus Fugit,” he said, standing between two large coils.
He stretched his arms out and the coils began to fire up. Thick bolts of lightning encircled him; charging the circle of protection the Alchemists stood in. The fleur-de-lis began to turn as if it were honing in on a location like the spoke of a compass. The flying powder began to catch fire and the world around them began to bend and swirl. Solon reached out and poked his fingers into the swirl of time, and like a thick gooey substance it stuck to him. He laughed as he could no longer see his hand, rather a small universe.
The Alchemists stood still as little lights began appearing on the black walls around him. One by one the walls and ceilings filled with what looked like stars, and they thought themselves to be floating in space.
“That is a marvel,” Johnny Dee said, as he attempted to reach out and touch one. The calm, serene surroundings quickly turned into a black hole; sucking all six men in. They found themselves standing on a pile of black soil; looking up at an old church which was buried beneath. In the dark red and violet sky sat six planet-like objects floating in the sky.
“Beautiful,” Johnny Dee said, as he gazed at his surroundings.
Solon's red coat flapped in the heavy winds and Nicky held his top hat down as they walked.
“If you tell me the location of Kriminel I can wisp us down there,” Nicky said. Solon shook his finger and let his hand hover over a patch of soil.
A small square plate emerged, with a key hole. Solon ran his hand down his chest and the key moved up his body and through his arm. It came out of the palm of his hand and as he turned it, it sounded as though a thousand latches had been unleashed.
The soil began to fall off of an old church until it emerged in its entirety. Nicky looked up at the top of the dome as a large knight in armor stood watch.
“I thought the point of my coming was discretion,” Nicky stormed.
“Discretion is not needed. You see, whether the Knights know of my being here or not is irrelevant. They will soon find themselves trapped here with no way to return to Malkuth,” Solon said, snickering.
“You would continue your war with the Magia during a time such as this? We will need them when the storm rises!” Nicky yelled but Solon laughed and waved him off.
He ordered the three Rubedos to stand outside as he walked into the darkness. Nicky was angry and wisped himself away from the Oubliette of Smyrna. Nicky emerged from a puff of smoke in the middle of the laboratory mumbling something to himself. Gregor and George sat watching him pace back and forth as they knew something bad had occurred.
“Gentlemen, I believe I have just made a grave mistake,” Nicky said.
Gregor and George could be seen frowning from beneath their bandages as Nicky told them what just transpired.
“Rex will be angry, but you must tell him,” George said. Nicky knew he was right, but by the time he found Rufus, it would be too late.
Solon walked slowly through the Oubliette singing as the keys of the prisons jingled from his wrist. The prison was dark. Large, stone pillars stood on either side of the walkway as far as his eye could see.
Between each pillar was darkness, but the groans and moans of its residents could be heard if he stood close enough. He walked for what seemed like miles, finally standing before prison number 667.
Solon waved his hand and a small white cloud began to light the dark opening. There he was, Baron Kriminel; bound and gagged with ropes that burned into his skin. His arms were tied around his body, his legs bound together as pigs feasted upon his flesh.
Solon scrunched his face at the filth th
at was Kriminel and sat at the edge of his prison cell watching. “You know, of all the prisoners here I think you take the award for filthiest,” he said, as Kriminel lay unresponsive.
“You, the great Baron of Purgatorio, my what a sight. You fat, nasty, bastard you. To be honest, I placed a bet. See, the ropes that bind you are a masterpiece of the Caqueux. Crafty little witches. I didn’t think they would be powerful enough to bind a god, but who knew,” Solon continued to taunt.
Kriminel opened one eye but remained silent. Solon removed the barrier, shooing away the pigs as he took a hand full of Kriminel's matted hair.
“Just so you know, I am only here because I want my fucking soul back!” he shouted, throwing his head down.
Solon kicked Kriminel repeatedly until a dark laugh from across the hall set him to fear.
“You stupid boy. You cannot get your soul back, as it is already housed in another,” the voice said.
Kriminel began to laugh with the voice and Solon continued to kick him again and again.
“Don’t you patronize me! I will have my way!” Solon roared, grabbing Kriminel by his ropes. He choked him as he dragged him down the long, dark hall attempting to blot out the voice down the hall. He approached a prison cell and out of curiosity, brought light to the darkness.
A gang of angels, monstrous looking and flew wild around the cell which looked much like a storm cloud. With the crack of lightening the angels shrieked and began clawing towards Solon. He laughed.
“Oh the great Powers, Thrones and Dominions. How pretty you are,” he said tauntingly.
A large angel began banging on the barrier causing it to bend. Solon stood back and grabbed Kriminel; shutting off the light to the cell.
“Fuck Smyrna!” he shouted, placing the key back in the keyhole and sealing it back up.
“Is that –,”
“A fat fuck? Yes. Now, stay here. Cornelius will return with the Knights. Once they’re here, push them into the rift. But hurry or it will consume you as well. Be quick about it. After its done, Cornelius can open a portal with the Wayfaring Key back to Panchrest,” Solon said.
“What rift?” Killian asked.
Solon took the key and began tearing into what looked like thin air.
“That rift. Now then, let's go tubby!” he said, dragging Kriminel to a vortex leading back to the Upper Earth.
They arrived just outside of Castle Panchrest but Solon took an underground route. “I will not have you stinking up my castle!” he barked, as he pulled him down the long hall Callan took just days earlier.
Solon came to a door, and as he opened it, revealed a horrid torture chamber. He strung Kriminel up by a hook and began spraying him with a water hose.
“You filthy shit!” he continued on. Kriminel stared at him with is red and black eyes; his large naked body covered in gashes and bite marks from the pigs feeding on him.
“If I find out you Barons are double crossing me, I will do much worse than lock your ass up in Smyrna,” Solon said, grabbing his face.
“Tell me when your done so I can queue my scream,” Kriminel said, in his low bass voice.
Solon became furious and began torturing him in every way he knew how. Kriminel laughed at him, sending Solon to further anger.
“I tell you boy, everything you do to me, I created. Your weak magic doesn’t work against me. Alchemy has no power if the Alchemist has no soul. But you know that already. So you leech on the souls of others with your pitiful sex magic. Perhaps you should take lessons from the Blue Goddesses,” Kriminel laughed.
Solon began to shout. He looked at the clock on the wall and it was coming up on the hour of the Prophet's gathering.
“We are not done. Not by a long shot,” he said storming off.
As he ascended to the castle, Cornelius hid himself out of Solon's sight. He entered the torture chamber, a place that was very familiar with often feeling Solon's wrath, and closed the door behind him.
“My, my. A Baron in the flesh. I would not treat you so if I were Grand Alchemist,” Cornelius said.
“Then you are a fool. Pity,” Kriminel said laughing hysterically.
Cornelius activated a pain sigil upon his chest and pressed it against Kriminel's forehead. Kriminel's eyes began to widened as he felt the pain.
“Too proud to scream are we? How’s about a little more,” he said, charging yet another. Kriminel began to laugh.
“That's more like it boy. Make it hurt,” he said winking.
“How did you get here? Did Solon release you?”
“What's this? Lover boy didn’t tell you? See, a man will do anything to retrieve his soul. Unfortunately for him, it’s too late. But I'm here nonetheless,” Kriminel said with a sinister smile.
Cornelius frowned at him. Staring at his large, sloppy body. His chest, hairy and thick, hair in nappy dreads and beard overgrown and disheveled.
“What do you mean it’s too late for him?” Cornelius asked.
“You've already asked your question,” Kriminel said.
Cornelius huffed, placing the ball gag back in his mouth to hinder him from calling out to his fellow Barons. He looked at the clock on the wall and although he was originally given instruction to man the castle, he felt an impulse to meet Solon near the Obelisk of the West.
Solon made it back to his chamber to see his wife Janna had left for the gathering already, which was fine by him. He threw off his coat to take a shower and noticed Callan sitting on a chair reading a rudimentary book of alchemy.
“Master I’m sorry,” he said jumping up and throwing the book down.
“It’s alright,” Solon said with a baleful smile. “Why have you come?”
“Honestly, I missed your touch. I have never felt such a thing and I was hoping that I could feel it again,” he said taking off his robes. Solon smiled harder.
“Now, I will show you something else. Come here,” he said. Solon pushed Callan to his knees at eye level to his limp cock.
“Take it in your mouth. Pretend it is a stick of ice cream, lick and suck, but not with your teeth,” Solon instructed.
Callan took his manhood and began to take Solon inch by inch. Callan began to enjoy it.
“Ahh. That's it. Just like that,” he said, grabbing his blonde hair and shoving himself deeper down his throat. Solon felt himself climaxing.
“Take it all in. Yes. Swallow. Just like that,” he said, releasing and falling on the bed.
Callan laid on top of him, kissing him gently, running his fingers along his sigils.
“Master, when will you grant me with my own ice cream stick?” he asked. Solon began to laugh.
“Get up,” he said as he reached over to his side table and pulled out a box containing a needle and thread.
There was a lone penis laying in the lower compartment beneath a cloth.
“This here will be your new ice cream stick. I took it off of one of my Alchemists. I followed him for a few days and saw that he was sneaking out of the castle having threesomes with some low level Reapers,” Solon explained.
“What's a threesome?”
“You'll learn soon enough. But the funny thing is, the very night I was going to retrieve it, someone put him on a pyre and burned him. Luckily I was able to take what I needed. See. Not even scorched,” he said holding it up.
Solon laid Callan on the bed and began sewing the penis on him. Callan screamed as it caused him so much pain.
“I thought I was to grow my own,” Callan said in pain.
Solon cracked up laughing. “I can’t do that. I made that shit up! Now, this is called grafting. It’s taking a limb from someone else and fusing it to another. You can only use this here. At Castle Panchrest with me. When you leave, you leave it here,” Solon instructed, as he snatched it off.
Callan screamed in agony. “So you lied to me? Why would you do such a thing?” he asked crying.
“Shh. I didn’t lie, just didn’t tell you the whole truth. Its ok. You can have it back. B
ut right now, I have to go with Cornelius to the Obelisk. The Prophet is doing some big shebang and I need to be there to watch it all crumble. Go back to the Parthenon for now. Angels are out looking for you Dactyls and you have to stay safe,” Solon said as he began to get dressed.
“Does Cornelius know what it is we do? It would hurt him if he did, and he would hurt me,” he said. Callan sat up in the bed looking confused as he waited for an answer.
Solon smiled at him and waved goodbye. He was filled with emotions he had never felt before. As he dressed, his eyes were empty and lost. Callan stood alone in the bedroom as the dark figure appeared near the window.
“Come with us. We will love you,” it said. Callan's eyes welled up with tears and he left, but not before taking the box on Solon's side table.
16
The Obelisk of the West
Meanwhile, Dante was still somewhat frantic after the Orders’ encounter with the angels. The ladies escorted him into the Blue Palace and his mind instantly became flooded with memories of a long forgotten past. A time when he once held in his arms a loved one.
The decor was much different than he remembered, but the motto of their order etched upon the wall behind Kelly read the same: Behind the eyes are hidden lies, dear goddess, see beneath them.
“You ladies have done well with the place,” he said, as he took the sights of his surroundings in.
Mila loved white roses and had them in vases, vines and sconces all along the walls and tables. The BGs helped Dante get settled in a suite where he fell into a deep sleep. Miss Chrissy’s chamomile special had the old man snoring.
The calm look on his face set her to ease knowing he was in a state of peace. She held back tears of her own thinking about the events at the Temple. She took her heavy heart to her own suite to compose herself.
Cesare pulled Mila to the side and kissed her.
“I was proud of you today,” she said smiling.
“Yeah. Well it might be more of that to come. Right now, I have to go home. Vinny's still there and there's some shit I have to take care of. He's waking up and I don’t want him to get hurt. I think I'll bring him to the Obelisk.”
Knights of Enmity: The Barons Have Fallen (Descending Fires Book 1) Page 19
