With that, five manila envelopes slid across the table to each of the men sitting there.
“I doubt any of you even need to open them. I’m sure you all know what you’ll find. But, if you’d like, take the time to share with your neighbors.”
It didn’t surprise Jeremiah that each of them did open his envelope and sighed, gasped, or shook his head after seeing what Jeremiah had given him. Slowly, they all replaced the contents and peered at the demon in silence.
“We don’t even know your name,” Bill said.
“You aren’t supposed to,” Jeremiah countered. “I have all the control, and it’s important for you to realize that. The minute any of you step out of line, I will crush you in any method I deem necessary. What you have in your hands is just the beginning. I will leave you poor, imprisoned, and humiliated if you do not cooperate. There are about to be big changes, and no one will so much as bat an eye if you five go down in conjunction with them—I promise.”
One man who had been silent through the meeting chuckled and remarked, “I am the richest man in the world. I think you are underestimating all of us. But, if you fuck with me, I will bury you. I can make you disappear.”
Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “You are the richest man in the world because no one knows how much money I have. And I should point out that it doesn’t matter how much money you have; it’s all in the way you invest it. I feel like some of you still don’t take me seriously.” Jeremiah locked eyes with the man who had just spoken and said, “Why don’t you slam your head into the table.”
The man obeyed. He firmly grasped the table and, to the horror of his peers, knocked himself unconscious and fell out of his chair.
Jeremiah put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. “Your myths speak of people selling their souls to the devil in exchange for services to be rendered. I am here to inform you that it doesn’t work like that. If you do not comply out of prudence, you will do it because I tell you to.”
A couple men stood and ran for the door, but they found that a wall of fire stood between them and their destination.
“Sit down,” Jeremiah commanded. And they did. “There is no escaping me. I tried to make you see reason, but you fought me every step of the way. Now, I am telling you that I own you. I don’t need to buy you with money. I don’t need to imprison you. I don’t need to blackmail you. I own you because I was around before money existed. Nothing will stop me from getting what I desire, certainly not you. Now, leave. I will call on you when it’s time for you to act. If any of you think you can betray me, I dare you to try.”
The men stood to find that there was no longer any fire between them and their escape. And they made haste toward it.
“Bill,” Jeremiah called.
Bill turned around, terrified, and faced the demon, averting his eyes.
Jeremiah pointed at the man’s crotch. “I suspect your bladder will be a little stronger the next time we meet.”
The men left, and Jeremiah smiled. He felt that he’d accomplished what he’d come for.
Then, his phone rang.
He pulled it out and answered, “What may I do for you, Dr. Martin?”
“I have a few orders of business, Jeremiah,” she replied tiredly. “First, all of the Elder Prophets I could convince to show should be here before the end of the day.”
“Good,” returned the demon. “It will be good for the other prophets to see the Elders working together. It shows unity. What else?”
“It has been decided that Alex should be a part of this meeting, so we will be contacting him soon to set up arrangements.”
“Will the other prophets appreciate that?”
Abbie sighed. “My hope is that he will be that unifying factor you speak of. Matt and Elizabeth are on their way to Kingstone. I can’t say that I approve of the decision, but I also can’t say that there’s much I could do about it, short of turning them into vegetables.”
“I agree. They are quite incorrigible. Oh, well. We must hope it all turns out for the best. But it sounds like you’re avoiding something. What?”
Abbie breathed deeply. “I’m sure you would find out sooner or later. Salmar wanted Nathan Kindle to be a part of this meeting.”
“Abbie,” Jeremiah responded patiently, “tell me that this is a joke.”
“I’m afraid not. Further, it seems Nathan has been speaking to an angel about Alex. Apparently, Salmar is not the only one who wants the Mad Prophet to participate.”
“Don’t let him in the mansion, Abbie. I have spent too much time building and modifying it. I don’t want him to tear it down.”
“It’s too late, Jeremiah; he’s already here. Listen, I’ve been keeping an eye on him. We won’t let him out of our sight. Believe me, I didn’t want him here any more than you do, but he’s very old and very powerful. If God wants him here, we shouldn’t even try to fight it.”
Jeremiah could already see his beautiful mansion burning to the ground. He rubbed his temples and pulled out another cigarette. “Abbie, why would God want Nathan to be a part of this? That lunatic doesn’t believe in God. He doesn’t believe in angels or demons. In fact, I think he prides himself in believing only in things no one else does. Have you told him whose house he’s in?”
“He may not believe in demons, but he will remember you. I don’t think it would be wise to tell him that it’s your mansion—not unless you want it reduced to rubble before you get here.”
“He didn’t recognize the portrait in the foyer?”
“If he did, he isn’t saying anything. Right now, he’s sleeping, with a little help from me. I’ve given Salmar the charge of watching over him.”
Jeremiah shook his head. “At the moment, I think you may be more insane than he is. I shouldn’t have to point out that he likes you about as much as he likes me.”
“I’m not the one who left him to die in the middle of the Sahara, shackled and chained to an anvil.”
“And no one is more surprised than I am that he found his way out. But, right now, there are bigger things at stake. Do you think it is altogether wise to allow him to be within a hundred feet of Alex?”
Abbie laughed. “Actually, it was his idea to include Alex in our conversation.”
“No doubt. Nathan probably plans to drive the boy insane. That’s just what we need—our only hope to win this war turned into a drooling crazy as a result of Nathan’s delusions.”
“Jeremiah, it was my decision to make, and it still feels like a sound one. It’s a little late to stop taking risks.”
“Okay,” Jeremiah conceded. “But this had better not go poorly.”
There was a silence, then Abbie said, “I agree. Uh, there is one more thing.”
“Great.”
“Marla wanted me to tell you that you have an interesting voicemail.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone recently called. She said her name was Sara Card, and she wants to speak with you. We knew your other phone had been taken in Vienna, so we wanted to pass the message along.”
Jeremiah thought for a moment. “Did you get a number for me?”
“Yeah, she left one. What do you think she wants?”
“I’m not entirely sure. She’s an unidentified prophet.”
There was a silence on the other end. Then, Abbie said, “She deserves to know what she is. Whatever she chooses to do with that information aside, she has that right.”
The demon grunted a mirthless laugh. “The last person I informed is now in mortal peril. I don’t know Ms. Card that well, but I imagine she deserves better than that.”
***
Alex thought he had woken earlier than either of his parents, but when he went downstairs, it looked as though neither of them had ever gone to sleep. They sat next to each other, snuggled, on the couch in front of the television. It seemed as though they were waiting for someone to kick in the door and take their son away from them again.
“Alex,” his father greeted, get
ting up, “how did you sleep?”
Alex motioned for his father to sit back down. “It was mostly restful,” he replied.
“Do you want something to eat?” his mother asked.
“I’ll get something, probably some cereal or something. I’m not real hungry.”
Despite his best efforts to keep his parents on the couch, they followed him into the kitchen, watched him pull out a box of cereal, a bowl, and some milk. Then, they sat next to him at the table.
“Did your mom tell you that she has been offered a position as partner at her firm?”
Alex looked up. “No, she didn’t. That sounds exciting.”
Mary smiled. “It does. But I’m not sure that I want the job—too much responsibility. Besides, before yesterday, I didn’t want to leave the house. Now, I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I don’t think I would make a very good partner.”
“Nonsense, Mom. You should take the job. I think you’d like it.”
James laughed. “That’s what I was just telling her. After...Well, the last few weeks have been kind of topsy-turvy. She needs something to focus all of that energy on.”
Mary looked serious. “Alex, we were talking about something else, too.”
“Not now, Mary,” James said as he gently stroked her hair.
She shrugged him off. “Alex, let’s leave,” she blurted. “We can go somewhere else, somewhere they would never think to look for you.”
Alex set his spoon down in the bowl and smiled at his mother sadly. “There’s no such place. Mom, I need to do this. Whatever the risk, I have a responsibility.”
She nodded her head and began to weep silently.
“Mary,” James scolded, “you promised it wouldn’t happen this way.”
“I know,” she whispered.
James looked at Alex. “Son, we want you to know that we support you. We will do anything we can to help. It’s just that we don’t quite understand. We want to believe, but this is far out of our element.”
Then, the phone rang. Alex’s father looked at it, perturbed, and decided to ignore it.
“They can call back later,” he said.
But, once the answering machine began to take over, there was a click, indicating the person on the other end had hung up. In a minute, the phone was ringing again.
“For godssake,” James grumbled as he walked over to the phone and picked it up. “Tanner residence.” After a second, his eyes widened, and he looked at Alex. “Who is this?...Yes, he’s here....What is this about?”
“Dad,” Alex said, realizing whom they were talking about. He got up from the table and walked toward his father. “I’ll take it.”
James looked reluctant to hand over the phone, but he finally did.
“Hello?”
“Alex,” Abbie said, “it’s good to hear your voice.”
“You, too.”
“I’ll cut to the chase. In a matter of hours, the Elder Prophets, the ones who are still alive and willing to come, will be meeting in Las Vegas. We would very much like to have your insight into some of the matters we’ll be discussing.”
“You want me to be there?”
“Yes,” she affirmed. “It won’t take very much of your time, but we need to know where you stand and what you plan to do. None of the rest of us has the authority to make any moves without coordinating them with your activities. And they’re all anxious to meet you.”
“I don’t know, Abbie. Do you really think my input is necessary?”
“Oh, yes. Normally, Alex, it takes two hundred fifty years before a prophet achieves the rank of Elder. But you have done things few other people can do. You may not be very old, but I think you know more than any of the rest of us. We can’t help unless we know how.”
“Okay.” Alex sighed. “When do you want me to be there?”
“Nagina should be arriving around six o’clock. I suspect the meeting will start around seven. That’s seven o’clock Mountain Time. It will be eight in Kingstone.”
“Then, I will be there at seven—well, whatever. But I can’t stay long. My place is here.”
“I understand,” Abbie acknowledged. “I’ll look for you around seven. Thank you.”
“Yeah.”
“Goodbye.”
Alex hung up the phone and looked at his expectant parents. “I have to go back to Las Vegas later tonight. I shouldn’t be there long.”
“We’ll go with you,” his mother declared.
“You can’t go the way I’m going,” Alex said, “but I promise I will be back before you two go to bed.”
They nodded. Alex sat back down to finish his breakfast, though his appetite had left him.
***
Yuri had already decided that he wasn’t too keen on Renee. She was quite attractive but wouldn’t put out. He hated women like that.
“It’s natural,” he’d told her.
“Keep it in your pants,” she’d warned, “or I’ll cut it off.”
It was already becoming tense within this huge house. So he retired to the basement, where he had begun setting up his lab. It was here that he would produce enough drugs to sedate the entire population of Kingstone.
Making drugs was easy enough, but his variety required a little special care. It would not do to rely on Ecstasy or downers to produce the effect he needed. Without his touch, drugs were mundane. He made them into an unrivaled experience. It was too bad that he hadn’t been able to bring any of that Rapture with him. But the recipe was simple. It wouldn’t take long to create another batch.
He heard the door above the stairs open, and he stared angrily into a beaker.
“You shouldn’t be down here,” he remarked.
“Think I’ll break your little chemistry set?” Renee scoffed.
“The fumes alone are enough to make you trip for days.”
“I guess that’s why you’re down here.”
Yuri rolled his eyes. “Actually, drugs have no effect on me. And I’d hate to fry your brain. It has to work hard enough as it is.”
Yuri could hear her walk heavily down the stairs. “I’ve done a few drugs in my time,” she said.
“Not any like this. Now, if you don’t mind, I would like to get back to my work.”
“I’ve heard of you, you know.”
“If I had some candy, I’d reward you for being so observant.”
“The rumors make you out to be much more attractive.”
Yuri laughed. “That sounds like an attempt to unnerve me. I’ll tell you what: You and I both go to Kansas City tonight. We can let the locals decide who is more attractive.”
She was now standing next to him. “I have no doubt that you could pay many women to sleep with you. That isn’t the point. I was just saying that you don’t do your reputation justice. I suppose rumors can’t be trusted.”
Yuri glared at her with brooding contempt. “I don’t need to pay women to sleep with me.”
Renee giggled softly. “Of course not. Anyway, I don’t think I would have as much luck as you do with the guys. I hear you have quite a devoted following from both sexes.”
Before Yuri composed himself, he had wondered what the beaker full of various chemicals would do to Renee’s pretty face. “Well,” he noted cheerfully, “like you said, rumors can’t be trusted.”
“Oh, don’t be sour,” she said. “I promise that your sexual exploits will not change the way I think of you at all.”
“My, but you’re ambitious. I think I sense some jealousy.”
This time she laughed out loud. “Jealousy? What do you have that I would be jealous of?”
“He likes me better,” Yuri replied simply.
That seemed to sober her a little. “Perhaps. But this is the test, isn’t it? We may have to work together, but our methods are quite different. I have every confidence that our master will see you and me in a different light by the time this is all over.”
“That’s cute. You hope to prove yourself.” Yuri turn
ed off the burner that was cooking his latest concoction. “I wish you well. But never forget: I’m in charge.”
He turned to walk up the stairs, and she grabbed him by the shoulder.
“And if I should forget?” she asked.
Yuri backhanded her hard, and she fell to the floor. Reaching up—almost unbelieving—she wiped off some blood from under her nose.
“Then,” he answered, “I’ll have to remind you,” as he continued up the stairs.
***
“So, when is this meeting?” Nathan asked Abbie and Salmar between chewing.
Abbie had insisted that Nathan eat in a room far removed from other people. In fact, only she and Salmar were present with the insane prophet as he devoured his food.
“It won’t be for several more hours,” Abbie answered him.
“Where is the master of the house?”
“He’s away on business,” she answered. “Now, what do you know about Alex?”
“I know that if you transpose the letters in his name, you get axle.”
“Nathan, you know what I’m asking you.”
Nathan put down his fork. “This food is cold.”
Salmar looked over at Abbie, smiled, and placed his hand over the dish. To his surprise, it felt like there was ice beneath his hand, even though he had just seen a member of the staff bring in the meal. And he’d noticed the steam coming off the plate before.
“He’s right.”
“He made it cold. Nathan, are you purposefully dodging my question?”
Nathan pushed the dish away from him. “I answered your question. Don’t blame me because you didn’t specify how you wanted it answered. You don’t get to control me, Bitch, and I will not be intimidated.”
Abbie put her face in her hands. “Okay,” she began again from behind them. “Then, I will tell you what you need to know. Alex is a young prophet, who has recently gained a great deal of power. Twice now, he has single-handedly defeated Metatron.”
“Then, why do we need to?” Nathan inquired.
“The demon has not been permanently defeated. And, if he never becomes defeated, he will eventually come after all of us. Like we tried to tell you in Locura, no one is safe.”
The Elder Prophets (To Absolve the Fallen Book 2) Page 12
