The Persephane Pendrake Chronicles-One-The Cimaruta

by Lady Ellen

  The Book of Black Dominance

  Melanthios stood, leaning against the open window in the room at the top of Bodesnoir’s main tower; her ‘Artist’s Garret’ as she liked to think of it. For she did feel she was an artist, an immense talent. THE true Mistress of All Magical Folk and well on her way to becoming the ‘All Powerful One’. She had worked and studied hard, earning in her opinion, the right to control all. She gave up love, (the thought of Evander could still make her heart ache), children, friends, a playful youth, all for this cause.

  Oh, she thirsted for power all right, and that was what attracted her to Willow. In spite of Laurel’s admonishing and warnings and her ‘goody-two-shoes’ sister, Angelica, Melanthios had been at home in the Forest of Depravation at a very young age. By twelve years old, she could spin circles around the Truth Testers and their quizzes. Gnomes, goblins, Fairy folk - good and bad - either thought it wiser to befriend her or were terrified of her.

  Willow first approached her when she was fifteen. Melanthios always knew there was another magical presence in the Forest; one not of the lower orders, but of the First. A powerful, yet reticent force, apparently watching, waiting. It somehow drew her back into the woods with more determination each day. She knew at some point they would meet, and it thrilled her to think about it. For some reason, Melanthios never feared it, but instead felt welcoming, eagerly anticipating their destined encounter.

  It happened on a warm spring day. Melanthios wandered more deeply into the Forest than usual, hoping to trigger an encounter with the presence. As was typical for her, she bested the Truth Testers at their game, and sat on a large rock, poking gently at a small gnome with a long thin branch, watching him jump over it again and again, giggling and teasing her back.

  A profound stillness suddenly came over the Forest. Her senses tweaked automatically...something was very different. Then she heard the voice.

  “Merry meet, child,” the voice said, whispering, with harnessed power.

  Melanthios started, twisted around on the rock facing the voice behind her. The air became very still; cold and charged with energy.

  “M-m-m-e-r-r-y m-m-m-e-et,” she stammered in the formal Magical Folk greeting, taking in the form before her eyes.

  This witch was powerful, oozing force. Her face was lined and hard but still expressed a beauty unmarred by time. Her large green eyes held a fire that seemed to burn right through you, and her deep auburn hair wisped down to her shoulders, in a constant state of movement as though caught by breezes in all directions, yet none were in the air.

  “You’ve sensed me, child, have you not?” asked the witch.

  “Indeed,” replied Melanthios quietly, still taking in this woman.

  “I am called Willow. I should like to speak with you--are you willing?”

  “Yes, of course. And you’re right, I knew you’ve been near me.”

  “It was necessary for me to observe you for some time,” explained Willow. “Most who knew me are gone and it’s to my advantage to remain unknown. I could not risk revealing myself to you until I was sure.”

  “Sure? Sure about what?”

  Willow glanced down at her. “Let us speak over tea. My home is just through here a bit.” She pointed to the left.

  “But, I’ve been all over this area of the Forest. I’ve never seen any house,”

  Willow’s side of her mouth lifted into a single-sided smirk, her eyes glinted. “Of course you haven’t, my dear. I keep it that way.”

  They walked along for about ten minutes then Willow stopped. She reached into the right side of her dark green skirts and extracted a beautiful wand. “It’s called an oak dragon, very rare to see. It was a dragon because while still on the tree, a vine in the course of its growth, wound around it tightly causing a natural spiral down the branch’s length. This added a special magic to it which augments its owner’s abilities.”

  Willow raised the wand high in her right hand, and with a swoosh in a down and to the left motion, called out “Aperios!”

  A large house appeared, first very faintly and then slowly became more and more solid. It was built of dark wood, with small windows and a black door with gold trim. A small stone wall encircled the gardens in the front of the house and ran to the back. The gardens at a brief glance seemed to be nothing but wild brambles, but on closer inspection, a myriad of herbs and plants could be determined, although none had bright or welcoming colours.

  “Come, my dear,” said Willow as she placed a hand on Melanthios’ shoulder. Melanthios never before felt such a sensation of cold mixed with a surge of energy. Strangely, it comforted her. Willow walked through the gateway, gently directing Melanthios with her hand. “I will make us some tea and explain everything to you.”

  When they entered the house, Melanthios stood rooted to the entranceway, trying to absorb everything. Immediately around her on the walls of the front hall were mounted heads of many horned animals: deer, goats, mountain goats, gazelles, springbok, buffalo, a rather global collection. A darkened hallway ran in front of her, leading to rooms deeper within the house.

  Large doorways loomed on each side of her. To her right, she stared through to the kitchen. It was a vast room, but because of the small windows, as was the case with the whole house, it was in deep shadows. Elaborate iron candle holders were mounted on the walls all around the room. The centre space was filled with a heavy long wooden table and chairs. Most of the wall space was taken up with shelves, packed with jars and containers of all sizes and shapes and books. At a cursory glance, Melanthios could see body parts of animals in some jars and dried toads, spiders, bats and rodents in others. The counters which ran on either side of the large sink also carried a number of crockery pots and jars, labeled in strange letters. Why did this all make her feel so at home?

  On Melanthios’ left was an extensive parlour darkened even further than the kitchen by full length, heavy, blood red curtains over the windows. There were loosely arranged, eight, over-sized, deeply padded, high-back chairs with a large, low, round table placed in the centre of the room. An enormous serpent was carved around the table’s sides, and from her point of view, she could see its bejewelled crimson eyes glaring right through her. One wall was completely taken up by a massive stone fireplace, a small glow emanating from it. These walls were also lined completely by shelves which were chock full of old books and rows of scrolls.

  The biggest curiosity item for Melanthios was a full sized podium in the far corner. On it was a black leather bound book, one of the largest she had ever seen. It measured at least two feet wide and about a foot thick. There were two very tall candles mounted in ornate brackets on either side of the podium. One was red and the other black. Judging by the amount of dripped wax on the sides of the podium, this was a well used book.

  Willow went into the kitchen to make the tea. “Sit at the table, child. Tea will be ready shortly.”

  “My name is Melanthios,” she said as she sat down. She peered up and noticed the rows of drying plants and small animals, cobwebs knitting them together like a line of laundry.

  “I’m aware of that,” Willow brought two large metal cups of tea to the table and sat down opposite Melanthios. “I sense you needing a mentor for a different magic. Someone who can provide the guidance a naturally skilled Dark Witch as you craves and deserves. A drive your own mother is trying to suppress in you. Am I striking any chords here?”

  Willow sipped her tea and glanced up at Melanthios, her emerald eyes sparkling. She knew she’d hit home. “You have such possibilities, my dear. It’s as if you were my own spawn.”

  This was a sad child, a lonely child, an angry child and most importantly...a bright and ambitious one. Perfect, Willow inwardly smiled. Why, yes...yes indeed, this was the one she’s been waiting for. Willow knew that playing her own talents down kept the focus off her had enabled her to find this treasure.

  Melanthios’ eyes darted up at Willow in shocked disbelief. Her tea sloshed against the si
des and over the brim of the cup as she stretched her back up straight to look Willow directly in the eyes.

  “I don’t understand how you know these things,” she said, wiping her hands on her skirt. “Watching me I understand, but you know my innermost thoughts.”

  “This is but a small task to a witch of my caliber...and yours, too, Melanthios, when you are taught how,” Willow purred. “Do you remember days when you’d be in the Forest and seem to drift off, not actually to sleep, but losing periods of time? Suddenly you’d become alert and wonder where your mind trailed off to?”

  “Yes, I do, and I could never remember what I was thinking about.”

  “It’s a Mind Reveal spell. I’d simply borrow your energy for a bit, hence you went into a daze and I’d gently massage your thoughts and dreams out, re-instate them and send it back to you. A talented First Order Magical can learn a Mind Wall, to stop this from happening,” Willow explained. “I hope you’re not upset with me, but I wanted to be absolutely sure you were the one who was foretold to me. I Time-Linxed to ancient Egypt to gather original magic and was told by the great Egyptian magician, Ormus that a young Dark Witch would come to me to become the ‘All Powerful One’ and I was to teach, and mold her to become the reigning Dark Mistress. So you see, this had to be done with utmost assuredness,” Willow stated.

  “I’m to become the ‘All Powerful One’? What does that mean? What do I do?” Her mind raced with questions.

  Willow smiled. “In various high energy times throughout the Ages, like these ‘Burning Times’, magical portals of opportunity open up. Events are always in motion for hundreds of years leading up to these openings. With the attack on Magical Folk by the Munz, a very powerful Dark Portal is about to open. The best prepared Magical will be able to take advantage of this and become the ‘All Powerful One’. For us, this witch or wizard must be of the Black Arts, and as I’ve said, be truly ready. This will mean a predestined pathway of study and obtaining certain highly magical objects. It is all written down in detail, and in time will be made known to you. But first there is much to be done. We will spend many, many hours, days even years together before you are trained. Do you believe yourself ready to begin, Melanthios?”

  Melanthios’ head was swimming. At first she didn’t know what to think. All her devious ways, as Laurel called them; all her secret experimenting with the Dark Magic, her maiming of animals and even other children, her mastery of poisons, dark hexes and spells, and most of all, her complete enjoyment and feeling how right it was for her--all of this now made sense. Her guilt and remorse were never long lived. Now she knew why. She understood her destiny. An inner elation filled her core being--she was home.

  “Oh, yes. I believe I’ve been ready for a very long time.”

  Over the next two years, they met frequently, sometimes for days on end. Melanthios was taught the most advanced, darkest magic known. And then together, Willow and she Time-Linxed to other magical eras to learn even more.

  Still standing at the window, Melanthios smiled fondly at the memories of those times. The beginning years with Willow held some of the most exciting and exhilarating experiences. Everyday held new mysteries and pushed her powers to the limit. But nothing...absolutely nothing could compare to when she was finally allowed to start working with the Book of Black Dominance.

  It was slightly under two years into her training, that Melanthios entered Willow’s kitchen after being out gathering poisonous Amanita mushrooms, although she preferred one of their other names--Death Angels. As she hung up her cloak and put the basket of mushrooms on the table, Willow looked up at her and simply said, “It is time.”

  Willow rose and walked to the parlour, Melanthios followed, assuming that it was what she was supposed to do. Willow approached the podium and crooked her finger at Melanthios to come nearer. Melanthios went to stand beside Willow, behind the podium. Although Melanthios often looked at the book from a distance, she never dared to open it. It was forbidden by Willow, right from the beginning and Melanthios certainly knew enough not to ever cross her.

  Melanthios glanced down at the book. On its cover were the words in an ancient decorative script, “Book of Black Dominance”.

  “Place your hand on the book, child,” said Willow.

  Melanthios did as she was bid. At once, she felt a tingling and then a tremor crawl up her arm to her shoulder, neck and into her head. She felt dizzy and closed her eyes. There, before her were some of the most evil, sinister looking beings; some entities that she had no idea even existed. Demons, half men, half dragon, bird or serpent...varying colours of black, red, deep green, grey...scales, skin and feather, claw, talon, hooves and feet...all writhing, slinking, dancing, reaching for her, calling her. Melanthios gasped and her eyes flew open. She whipped her hand from the book and looked up at Willow.

  “What on earth is this?” she cried.

  “Some of the most dangerous, powerful demons known to the Black Arts. These and more will be yours to beckon and control. They are your future slaves and subjects. They will carry out your every whim, bow down to you and enforce your laws over mankind and all other Magical Folk. They will penetrate the ages, making you the ‘All Powerful One’,” said Willow, with extreme and obvious satisfaction.

  “They look positively venomous. How does one witch control all of them?”

  “That’s what the Book will teach you, my dear,” Willow patted the book lightly, “It’s all in here.”

  “Where did the Book come from?”

  “I am its creator,” explained Willow. “But let me give you some of the stories of its roots.”

  They sat in two of the large chairs and Willow continued.

  “I started pulling this book together about fifty years ago. Throughout my life of studying the Black Arts, I saw that there were many sources, books, grimoires written all through the ages, which when you studied them had a central core of information - a common thread. I began Time-Linxing to the various high points in Dark Magic’s evolution, gathering and sifting through each era’s essence to accumulate the cream of the methods and beliefs. I knew about the Dark Portals opening from time to time and that somewhere buried in all the writings would be the keys to becoming the All Powerful One. Ormus started me in the right direction. I also knew very soon that it would never be me, but someone I trained, someone young with the right inborn talents and ambitions. That someone is you, Melanthios. Of this I am sure.

  Some of the main writings I have drawn from include the Key of Solomon, which depicts the magic of King Solomon, its lesser grimoire, the Lemegeton which describes the ability to call on and control seventy-two of the most powerful and dreaded demons of all time. A few of those darlings were revealed to you when you touched the Book.”

  Willow grinned slyly at her little joke. Melanthios gulped and was not sure she shared Willow’s great enthusiasm for the ‘darlings’.

  Willow went on. “I received some help from an Italian witch friend of mine, Laura who actually owned a copy of the Key of Solomon, very difficult to get hold of as you can imagine. Unfortunately, she was found by the authorities and killed. Well, she vanished. But by that time I copied all I needed from the document.

  There was much I learned in the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead and the Tablet of Destiny...and oh, the Emerald Tablet. It took me years and years to sort through the facts, cleave off the showmanship and ego of the individual authors and discover the actual path for the All Powerful One. But I am convinced I have done it. The Book of Black Dominance is the result of my efforts. You will begin to study it, along with some of the old documents, the important ones, so you understand your destiny. I will be here to guide you through your whole metamorphosis to becoming the ‘All Powerful One’.”

  Melanthios was entranced and stared, slack-jawed at Willow as she spoke. She’d studied for almost two years and now found out the real journey is just about to begin. An electric tingle flowed down her spine. She knew she was getting close. This pa
thway was what she’d been trained to step on to, this was the final walk, this was why Willow found her. Melanthios sensed she was about to enter a whole new world of power, magic and involvement in the Black Arts. Now, she not only had her mentor, but her guidebook as well. Her heart swelled with joy and her mind was whirling with possibilities.

  “I can tell you this, Melanthios,” stated Willow, “the Book will not only tell you of your fate, but how to get there. There are Nine Magical Objects you must obtain to complete your initiation. Most will not be made known until the one which precedes it is found. These are of many different magical times and eras. You cannot reach your final destination unless all nine are in your possession or control. Remember this always, for it is critical to your success...our success.

  Know too. White Magicals will also be on a quest of their own for the Nine Magical Objects. And if they succeed, they will use the Book and the Objects to destroy Black magic and rule the planet in the Light. They must not win…any of them.”

  Still leaning on the window’s frame, Melanthios smiled again. How clearly she remembered that day. It took her fifteen years of study to know the Book of Black Dominance and fine tune her powers to be ready to pursue the nine objects.

  It was in the first year of those fifteen that she met and fell in love with Evander. Willow was horrified and feared that this would distract her student from her goal. Melanthios insisted it wouldn’t of course, but the truth was that Evander was White Magic to his core. He loved her with all his heart, of that she was certain. How long could she hide her true leanings? There were days on end when they couldn’t meet as she was in the middle of some long lasting Black ritual. She could never really explain these times to him, at least to his satisfaction, she knew that. But their feelings for each other seemed to overrule logic and the romance went on.