A pentagram was already drawn upon the floor, the goblets and black candles set in brass candlesticks were in place, she had only to fill the goblets with red wine and light the candles, and the satanic pentagram would be charged. Temporarily placing the Ark down, she placed a chair in the middle of the pentagram, then she placed the Ark upon the chair, so that the lid would open back against the back of the chair. She then filled the goblets with red wine, but she did not light the candles, not yet. First she drew a second pentagram; this took her thirty minutes, using some of her own blood to paint the circle that enclosed the star. Finally it was fully charged, although she had to make do with china cups and no candlesticks.
Tired but excited she now lit the candles around both pentagrams. Mrs Knightly now looked up at the ceiling and smiled, but her smile was one of triumph.
“Sleep tight Moira, I expect you will feel a little drained by the morning.”
Then she collected her bedding and went to sleep in the second charged pentagram, this one would protect her from the Ark while it was drawing power from any living or satanic object near to it.
**********
The next morning Mrs Knightly woke first, and breakfast was not the first thought to come to her mind. She smiled, and then she went to her altar, lit two more black candles, and poured red wine into a bowl, to this she added a liquid from a small glass bottle that was kept on a small wall side table. She now refilled the goblets around the Ark with fresh red wine and she had a lit match in her hand to light fresh candles, the previous candles having burned down; however, it was now that Moira staggered into the small temple.
“What the hell do you think you are doing Joanna?” Moira demanded to know, her anger clearly visible to the other Satanist.
She had woken a minute earlier feeling exhausted, and had gone in search of Mrs Knightly, as she passed by the cellar door she heard sounds coming from it, she also saw that the Ark was missing, cursing herself for a fool, she descended the wooden stairs, and to her surprise found herself within a small satanic temple.
Mrs Knightly looked up, startled by the sudden arrival of the young Satanist, with Moira in the room the remainder of the ceremony would have to wait, instead she pulled out an automatic pistol.
“Stop right there Moira, I am about to open the Ark, it will then charge me with its tremendous power, some of which you kindly donated.” Mrs Knightly said throwing a contemptuous look at the young Satanist. “After that I will call upon Hekate, for I am her most devoted follower, a priestess, and she has told me that she will make me the most powerful Satanist on Earth, but only if I give her the Ark.” Mrs Knightly said gloatingly. “Now step back against the wall or I will pull the trigger and rid myself of your overbearing presence.”
“You bitch Joanna, I vow that you will pay for your betrayal of me and my father.” Moira cried out in anger as she backed up against the rear wall of the temple.
“Your father is dead you silly bitch, and do shut up Moira, just watch as I bathe in the light of the gods.”
With no chance of Moira attempting anything for the moment, Mrs Knightly pushed the pistol back into her belt and lit the fresh candles, and then she turned the chair so that the front of the Ark was towards her. The anger that Moira felt at this betrayal, was not the only emotion that she now felt, she also felt contempt. Moira looked on, fighting to hold back her laughter, as Mrs Knightly raised the lid away from herself. Even though Moira knew what was about to happen, she was still shocked when Mrs Knightly was sucked into the Ark, and then the lid slammed shut with a loud bang. Mrs Knightly did not have time to scream, only to die a short, but terribly painful death, as her body disintegrated and then vanished. One of the ancient books belonging to her dead father had made a cryptic comment regarding an Ark of great power. However, it was not until she had looked carefully at this Ark yesterday evening, that it began to make sense, and she knew which Ark the book was referring to, for up until then she had assumed that it had referred to a more famous Ark.
“Told you so Joanna, not so smug now, are you.”
Moira walked into the pentagram and put her two hands on either side of the Ark, and fully upon the two identical engravings that were hidden amongst larger, more intricate ones on either side of the Ark. The careful study she had made last night had showed her that these small engravings were of a god, and he was touching the two sides of the Ark at these exact points. Instantly her body was surrounded by a bright glowing light, when she had touched the Ark before, she had felt nothing, this time she felt the new energy that it now possessed, for she could feel it invigorating her body.
With this feeling of strength, she looked about the temple, and she saw that the pistol that Mrs Knightly had held was now lying upon the floor; Moira picked it up and put it in on the altar. Later she would take it upstairs, to use against any human enemies that came her way, although their numbers had been reduced over the last twenty four hours, she thought with a smile.
From the rear of the small satanic temple a dark form began to appear in a swirl of bright orange lights, it was Hekate coming to claim her prize. Fear grabbed at the heart of Moira, she quickly turned the Ark towards the orange lights, and put her hands on to its golden lid.
“Where is my priestess, Satanist? I felt her mind calling to me in pain; I also saw a vision of my prize, the golden Ark of Baʿal Berith, amongst her screams.” The goddess demanded to know. “The very Ark that I see you standing behind.” Hekate said accusingly, with a hint of fear now in her voice.
“She was here a moment ago.” Moira replied sweetly. “Maybe she popped in here.”
With that, Moira opened the Ark, the last thing that the goddess felt was this tremendous pain all over her body, then she was sucked into the Ark, and then the lid slammed firmly shut. The beautiful young Satanists laughed so much she almost collapsed onto the floor, but finally she regained her composure, and now she looked at the Ark in awe. She touched the two sides of the Ark again, and this time the power that shot up her arms and into her body was so much that she almost fainted. She did sink to her knees, her eyes closed in ecstasy, and on her face a look of a woman who had experienced the most terrific orgasm in her entire existence. It took her a full minute to regain control of her mind and her body, she then opened her eyes and smiled, a glow emanated from her face, and her eyes sparkled with such energy.
“Oh my but that was one bloody good trip.” Moira cried out in pleasure. “I must do that again, and soon. I can certainly see why Kronos had a mystical energy field around it; if one of the prisoners had got a hold of it they could have wiped all the wardens in Tartarus off the map.”
She slowly stood up, rejoicing in the extra energy that was coursing through her young body, and the quickness of her mind. She picked up the Ark and carried it back up to the main part of the house. Even though she did not need to rush, she did, she wanted to return to her chateau in France, and then bring her father back to her. Lifting up the telephone in the front room of the house she called Miles Lawson, her father`s pilot.
“Miles, it`s Moira, you have the helicopter ready?” Is all she asked.
“Yes Mademoiselle Bourbon, we can leave for France whenever you are ready.” Lawson replied.
“Right, I will leave here after I have grabbed something to eat, I should be there in one hour, maybe an hour and a half, but I should be no later than that, see you then.”
With that she put the telephone down and returned to the small temple to collect the automatic pistol, only now did she return to the kitchen to look for something to eat, she found a box of Cheerios and settled for them, together with a cup of coffee. Ten minutes later and she had finished her breakfast, she stood up and went into the front room to look out of its windows, to ensure that no one had arrived, but the hamlet was still deserted. Therefore, free to act, she searched for and found a suitable container for the Ark. It was an old blanket box, she carried this out to the car that she had driven from the old ruined church in,
she then put the box into the boot of the car. She then returned to the house and collected the Ark, this she put into the blanket box; finally, she found a long length of rope in the small garden shed in the back garden of the house. She used this the secure the blanket box to ensure that none of her staff in France would see, and be tempted to steal the Ark, for it was a very beautiful chest, one looking to be of immense value.
She now drove over to the gatehouse of the manor house, her things were already packed, waiting there for her, she had done this on the afternoon of Halloween. The items that she had packed were not all personal items, a good many were for use in black magic ceremonies, also her father`s books, and she would make good use of them in the coming days. She took one other item, her handbag, a large black affair, and into this, she put the automatic pistol. Five minutes later and she was on the road heading west, travelling towards a small airfield where her ride to France waited.
The trip was to be in two hops, first to the south of England, and this was quiet and uneventful. As they neared their first stop on the way to France, Lawson turned to his new employer. “We must fill up the tanks here Mademoiselle Bourbon, to ensure we reach your chateau without having to touch down at one of the French aerodromes. Tell me Mademoiselle, if the local gendarmes do come by the chateau, do you have a passport to show them?” Lawson asked.
“Yes, Miles, Simon Pritchard knew someone who was able to procure a nice new French one in the name of Michelle Blanchett.” Moira replied.
She turned and smiled at her pilot, he was tall, good looking, and a real man she thought, maybe not with the power that she had felt radiating off Simon Parkston, but still quite desirable.
The helicopter, an Augusta- Bell 206B, arrived in the area of Lower Boulding, and landed within the grounds of her property near to the small village, one she would be unlikely to reclaim, not without a visit from the local police followed by her imprisonment. Lawson had secretly transported 400 litres of Jet-A fuel to the house, and it had been waiting there, hidden in one of the more remote outhouses, ever since his former employer`s daughter had spoken to him following her escape from the hospital. He had acquired the funds to purchase the second hand helicopter by selling his former employer`s aircraft to a business man who had decided that he needed a good aircraft, but at a cheap price. Moira thought that a helicopter would be a little more clandestine, as she had informed Lawson, feeling that she would need to travel under cover until she finally returned to the family home in France. Lawson had already put out feelers for a buyer for the aircraft, hoping to pocket the money; however, with another employer willing to pay his usual salary, he was happy to use the money to purchase a helicopter.
It did not take long to top up the fuel tank of the helicopter, and then they were on their way to France. The journey took three hours, flying below the radar, then Moira finally caught sight of the family chateau, and tears came to her eyes as she thought once again about her father. The staff of the chateau had been kept on during the two years of her confinement, good staff being hard to find anywhere. They helped to park the helicopter within an old barn that was no longer in use, to ensure that it was not seen by any nosey neighbour or gendarme.
“Alain, would you take this box to the chateau and put it in the study, be careful with it though, it contains things that are of immense sentimental value to me.” Moira instructed one of the younger male members of her staff. Other members of her staff had already picked up her suitcases and bags, and these they had taken to her bedroom.
Moira now turned to Lawson. “I am starved Miles, thankfully the staff have prepared a meal for us, that with a little wine will help us recover from the long journey.” Moira said.
She led Lawson over to the chateau where he too would be staying, as was usual whenever he had flown Ulysses Bourbon to France. Dinner was soon served in the large dining room of the chateau, and over dinner they spoke of places they had visited, and of places where they would like to visit in the future. After dinner, she led him through to her study, where coffee was served. When the servants had left to clear away the dinner plates and such things, she brought the conversation around to her father.
“Miles, in that chest is a satanic device of incredible power, to get it I risked my life and my immortal soul, thirteen other people perished in the quest, along with a few other unimportant individuals along the way. I put my own life in such terrible danger so that I could bring my father back from beyond the grave, will you help me to realise my greatest wish? I would be extremely grateful to you, if you agreed, and would show it to you in many ways.” Moira asked seductively.
She had fancied the tall good-looking pilot ever since she had met him over two years ago, when her father had been forced to return to their French estate prematurely, and all because of Rob Hinds she thought, well she had finally ensured that he would not meddle in her affairs again.
Lawson had known that the Bourbons were Satanists, but had been happy to work for them, as the pay was so good. However, he was a little surprised by what Moira Bourbon had said to him, and he did wonder just how grateful she would be.
“I don`t know Moira, perhaps you tell me how you would accomplish such an impossible sounding task, so that I can see just what I would be letting myself in for, and maybe I can look at your new toy Moira, to see how it will help accomplish such a task?” Lawson asked feeling both eager to get to know her a lot better, and a little scared at the idea of becoming involved in black magic.
His use of her Christian name was his way of reacting to her promise to be extremely grateful, and this was not lost upon the young Satanist.
“Yes I will tell you of my plans for the immediate future Miles. This evening I will mix together a potion that we will need during the ceremony, I will then make up a green cocktail, a drink loved by the demons. Finally, I will go over the details of the various incantations that I will recite tomorrow during the ceremony. That should take me up to midnight when I shall retire to my bed.” Moira said the last in a very beguiling voice that made Lawson`s head spin.
“Tomorrow evening, Miles, you and I will take my new toy, as you call it, to my family crypt, you have probably never even seen the crypt on your previous visits here, it is in a very private location, hidden by the trees of the woods that we flew over on our approach.” Moira told him.
“I will then use an enormous amount of black magic to bring my father back, power that I have obtained through my new satanic toy.” Moira said.
She then stood up and walked across to the blanket box and untied the string with which she had secured it, she then opened the lid of the blanket box.
“Here you are Miles, this is my new toy.” She said. “However do not touch it, it would prove fatal to someone who does not already possess a large amount of satanic power.” She warned.
Lawson walked across and looked into the blanket box, when he saw the golden Ark he was almost struck dumb. “Is that pure gold Moira?” He managed to ask.
“Well mostly, Miles, that and a few other precious stones and metals, but do not get it into your head to try to steal it, your head would explode if you so much as laid a finger on it.” Moira said.
She had overstated what would happen to him, so as to kill off any larcenous desires that might have sprang into his mind, what would happen is that she would put a bullet into his brain. However, if he were to open the lid of the Ark, then he would certainly die a very painful death, being sucked into the same fate that Hekate and Joanna Knightly had suffered. Lawson looked up at the beautiful Satanist, and decided that touching the box could indeed prove dangerous; however, the thought about stealing the box and selling it on to a rich Arab did not fully disappear.
“Come on Miles, pick up the blanket box and follow me, with that Moira walked over to a small table and took a remote control device from out of a secret drawer that was concealed beneath the ornate top of the table. She first slipped in two fresh batteries; she now aimed the device at a picture o
f Notre Dame, pressing the only button on the device. A small panel within the interior wall slid back, and then sideways revealing a wooden staircase that went down to a concealed cellar.
“This way Miles.” Moira ordered.
She led the way down the stairs to the main room of the cellar, and through to a small satanic temple.
“Put the blanket box down please Miles.” Moira said.
Miles did as he was asked, and after he watched as the young Satanist took the Ark out of its container and put it into the centre of the pentagram that decorated part of the floor of the temple.
Moira then turned to Lawson and looked into his eyes, seconds later he fell into a deep sleep. Moira then walked into a small laboratory that was behind the altar; here she took a medical kit out of one of the cupboards. It came complete with a blood bag, a needle, a clamp and a length of tubing. She soon had the needle inserted into his arm and then the bag began to fill. When she had enough blood she disconnected the kit from Lawson`s arm and wiped it with an antiseptic wipe.
Moira now repainted the circle around the pentagram with the blood, and when satisfied she also set up the pentagram in the study and her bedroom, repainting both of the circles. Then she returned to the laboratory and disposed of the items of the medical kit, she would purchase a new kit for next year. Walking back into the small temple she took five silver goblets from a cupboard and put them into the valleys of the pentagram, these she filled with red wine. Then she took five black candles out of the same cupboard and set them into five silver candlesticks, these she put at the five apexes of the pentagram, and then she lit them. She did not need to draw the five mystical symbols for they were already painted upon the floor. The Ark would slowly draw energy from the world around it, some of it of greater value, while some of it would only come from the normal human world, and this would be of a lesser value.
The Satanists Page 16
