A Web of Crimson

by Alexander G R Gideon

  “Are you alright?” I asked, concerned.

  She twitched a nod, and the blade disappeared as if it had never existed. “How do we open it again?” she asked Jones, her voice tight.

  “The sconce here acts as a lever as well,” he replied with a smile as if he hadn’t noticed Elaine’s distress. “Pull it and the entrance will open.”

  “It certainly leaves quite the impression," she said with a nod. She took a deep breath to steady herself. Curious. She’d entered just fine, so the thought of being trapped inside must have caused her alarm. I wondered where such a fear had come from.

  “Wait until you see what else Lord Mathers can do,” Jones said in a knowing fashion. “If you’ll follow me, I think it high time you met him.” He turned and we followed him. Silence reigned, save for our footfalls, making the passage feel more like a crypt. We soon came to a large room with a low ceiling. A staircase spiraled into the depths. Elaine and I both leaned over the banister, but shadow hid the bottom.

  “Mr. Mathers built all this?” I asked, skeptical.

  “Lord Mathers often accomplishes what others consider impossible,” Jones said as we descended.

  The stair drilled down under the city for some way, and it took several minutes to reach the bottom. Another corridor met us, this one far grander. Here, I found the opulence I expected. A scarlet carpet trimmed with gold along the edges led toward a massive set of doors. Marble columns lined our way, each carved with runes and mystical markings. In my Sight, none held any actual magic. Still, I felt like royalty as we walked, Jones’s torch making the gold shine.

  Carved across the colossal doors was a peculiar creature with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a man. A sphinx, the traditional embodiment of the practice of High Magic, incredibly detailed with accents of gold and silver. Its ruby eyes stared down at me as we approached, making me feel as if the beast were flesh instead of stone.

  “Magnificent, no?” Mr. Jones said, gazing up at the door. “The first time I saw it, I knew the Order had the answers I sought. Ready?”

  Elaine and I shared a look and together we nodded.

  Jones turned, placed his hands upon the door, and pushed. Hinges creaked, and the sphinx split as the doors opened. Jones stepped back, leaned on his cane and said, “Welcome to the Isis-Urania Temple.”

  10

  The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

  Before us stood a gigantic circular chamber, its walls lined with torches that illuminated the temple’s majesty and revealed the horde of hooded figures gathered in the center. Each wore plain black robes with a silvered sash about the waist. Only one stood with his hood thrown back. He towered over those around him, his shock of auburn hair clearly visible. His gray mustache showed the man’s true age. He spoke to each of those gathered about him in turn, shaking hands and laughing or touching their arm and leaning close so that none might hear their words. He played the crowd like a master. As if sensing me, his stunning, icy blue eyes met my gaze. Those eyes drew me in and made me want to keep gazing forever. A natural born leader, this one. The kind men die for.

  Samuel Mathers.

  He turned his attention back to the group after a moment, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Magic or not, Mathers was dangerous. Jones led us across the floor, and I glanced around at the temple. Gorgeously wrought statues of various gods sat in recesses in the walls. Cushions and carpets lay before each for the comfort of the supplicants. Across the temple, one statue dominated the others. The Egyptian goddess Isis, her beauty in stark marble relief, inlaid with fine silver hieroglyphs. Proper in a temple that bore her name.

  The tap of our shoes and the click of Jones’s cane reached the little group and, as one, they turned to watch our approach. They muttered amongst themselves, though their voices echoed enough for us to hear.

  “At last, George brings his precious neophytes before us,” a woman sneered.

  “I don’t like the look of the gentleman.” A man’s voice this time.

  “Speak for yourself. I want him for the fertility rites,” another woman purred. I made a mental note to acquaint myself with her.

  Aleister, beware the circle, Vex warned.

  I glanced down. The edge of a circle curved about a large portion of the temple floor, inlaid into the polished marble floor in bronze and marked with a pentacle. A brazier of coals stood at each point of the star, not yet lit. I had focused so intently upon Mathers and his flock that I’d completely missed it and chided myself for the novice mistake. I opened my Sight and found the circle unkindled and inactive.

  I don’t see any power from it. Do you?

  No. But someone could use it later. Keep an eye on Mathers. He puts me ill at ease.

  Jones crossed the perimeter of the circle, followed by Elaine. I held my breath when I stepped over the bronze. Nothing happened, and I fought down a sigh of relief. Mathers flowed into motion, parting the sea of hoods as he came toward us.

  “George, good to see you, old boy.” Mathers sounded cheery but his hard eyes appraised me.

  “And you, milord.” The two embraced, then with an arm still around Mathers, Jones stepped back and gestured to us. “Samuel, let me introduce my initiates. First, Miss Elaine Simpson.”

  Mathers swept up in front of her and took her hand, kissing its back with a flourish. “A pleasure, my dear. Truly a pleasure. George speaks highly of you.”

  “How kind of him. And we’ve certainly heard much about you,” she replied, glancing my way with a knowing smile.

  “All good I trust,” he said with a laugh, his attention already turning back to Jones.

  Elaine rolled her eyes at me and I smiled. A grave mistake to think her a woman to be dismissed.

  Jones gestured toward me and said, “And this is Mr.—”

  “Aleister Crowley,” Mathers finished. His demeanor changed as he took me in once more, his eyes narrowed and face hard. I didn’t like the way he said my name. I imagined he noticed the missing papers and books from his study and wondered if he thought me the culprit. He held out a hand, and I took it, his grip firm, confident, but not crushing. I still saw no magic about the man, but that didn’t make him any less dangerous.

  For several long moments, neither of us budged.

  Mathers gave me a tight, calculating smile and said. “I think they’ll do just fine.” He looked to Jones, who brightened under the attention. “You found fine initiates, George. There’s still the matter of the formal ritual, of course, but allow me to welcome you to our ranks.” He patted my hand before he finally released me. “I expect great things from both of you.”

  Jones stood with us like a proud mother as the hooded members congratulated us one by one. I shook hand after hand, but each kept their head lowered and their faces hidden. None lingered, each offering welcome then hurrying back to Mathers. Even Jones scurried to join the throng, leaving Elaine and I at the edge of the circle by ourselves.

  “Do you think he truly possesses magical abilities?” Elaine whispered.

  “I think him a dangerous man no matter the answer to that question.” I turned, gesturing to Elaine, and together we strolled about the edge of the circle as inconspicuously as possible as I inspected the circle.

  “And an ass, with the way he discounted me,” Elaine muttered with a frown.

  I huffed a laugh. “Aye, that he is. But at times, being underestimated can have its advantages,” I said with a grin.

  She smiled in return.

  What do you think of Mathers, Vex? I asked my cranial companion as we continued around the circle.

  Must you call me that?

  I found his annoyance sweeter than dessert wine.

  Answer the question.

  While he pondered, I inspected one of the braziers. Bronze, though plated over iron. I leaned forward and sniffed the coals, detecting a faint hint of lotus among the char.

  I do not think him a magician Vex said after a time. He sounded unsure, though.

/>   I nodded. My conclusion as well. Still, there’s something about the man. He holds power.

  And it gained him quite the following. I felt an odd sensation in the back of my mind, as if Vex pointed at the men and women in the center of the circle. See how they flock to him? They seem to think him the messiah.

  When we reached the far side of the circle, we halted and together inspected the crowd. Marionettes, each of them, and Mathers worked the strings masterfully. A few moments later, Jones separated himself and bustled toward us.

  “I apologize for leaving you to yourselves,” he said when he joined us.

  “No apologies needed. Mr. Crowley’s company was unexpectedly pleasant,” Elaine said with a wry grin.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, your attention for just a moment,” Mathers’s voice boomed across the room.

  As one, we fell silent and turned to him.

  He regarded each of us in turn, drawing out the wait, building the tension. A brilliant performance, and even aware of his ploy, I found myself drawn in. “I welcome each and every one of you. Let us prepare to initiate our newest members into the Order.” One of the flock handed Mathers an elegant sword, golden-handled and jewel-encrusted. He thrust the blade into the air above his head and proclaimed, “Sic fiat!”

  The members in the temple answered him as one. With a crook of a smile, I answered as well. “Sic fiat.”

  So be it!

  Mathers gave his orders, and the disorganized mess of the Golden Dawn membership seemed to meld together into an entity with a single mind. Practitioners pulled supplies out of hidden niches and prepared the circle while Jones escorted us back outside the temple doors. He took a tile from the wall to reveal another hidden niche and produced two sets of plain white robes.

  “Wear naught but these and the golden cord tied around your waist,” Jones instructed as he passed them to us.

  “Do you mean for us to change here?” I asked, glancing at Elaine.

  “You’ll find no changing rooms within the temple, and you cannot leave until we finish. Consider this a chance to get to know each other better.” Jones chuckled and headed back into the temple, closing the doors behind him.

  “Never seen a naked woman before?” Elaine asked with a cheeky smile as she unfastened her dress.

  “I just thought to protect your propriety, madam,” I replied, stripping off my coat and undoing the buttons of my waistcoat.

  “To hell with propriety.” She shrugged out of her dress and it fell to the ground with the clank of hidden blades.

  I studied her as I removed my shirt. Scars crisscrossed her torso and legs, and one rather nasty one ran diagonally between her breasts. I daresay half our military saw less combat during their careers than this woman, and though I hadn’t imagined her so muscular when undressed, I found it rather appealing.

  She leaned over and pulled a belt of throwing knives from the folds of her dress and strapped it to her thigh. To the other, she fixed a long knife, Nepalese from the forward curve. A blade made for slicing throats. She unsheathed a throwing knife before donning her robe and used it to cut a small slit into each side to give her access to her blades. Clever.

  “I finished my performance. You can get dressed now,” Elaine said with a smirk.

  I blinked, realizing I only half removed my shirt before I stopped to watch. “Couldn’t help myself, love. Art deserves appreciation, after all.” I grinned back and stripped down. “Apologies that I can’t provide as much entertainment.”

  “Oh, you provide plenty,” she said, her eyes tracing my skin.

  “Then by all means, enjoy yourself.” I gave her a wink and a wiggle that made her laugh. I didn’t possess Elaine’s muscle tone, but my fondness of mountaineering left me fit, at least. I finished tying the golden cord around my waist when Jones opened the doors once more.

  “All set?” he said, looking us over.

  “I suppose,” I said, glancing at Elaine. She nodded.

  “Right then, single file, Miss Simpson in front. Stop when you get to the circle. We shall open it for each of you in turn.” He gestured for us to follow him. “Off we go.”

  He led us into the temple, across the marble floor, and toward the circle. Within it stood the remainder of the Order, silent and watchful. The flap of our bare feet and the soft flutter of the braziers the only sounds in the temple. The flames cast the Order in stark shadow, deepening the darkness within their cowls. It lent them a mysterious, mystical air, but when I opened my Sight, I still saw no trace of magic. I didn’t know whether that boded well, or ill.

  We stopped at the edge of the circle.

  No one moved or spoke.

  Jones stepped forward and, from the sleeve of his robe, removed a small ceremonial dagger. He crouched and thrust the blade through the air over the edge of the circle as if slicing into a man and stood. Gently, he brought the dagger up and over in the shape of an archway until he touched the blade to the floor on the other side. He stepped back and gestured Elaine through. She nodded and passed into the circle’s interior. He gestured for me to follow, and I entered through the implied opening. Once inside, Jones repeated the process in reverse, re-sealing the circle. It impressed me they knew the proper form to open and close a working circle. Through the entire process though, not a single drop of magic sparked. The circle remained inert and unkindled.

  Once Jones guided us to our places, Mathers leapt onto the raised dais around the altar. Everyone’s eyes snapped to him, and he threw his hands wide, smiling at the gathered.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, join me in welcoming our newest members to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,” he proclaimed. Applause and cheers broke the silence.

  Magic flared white hot across my skin.

  The circle kindled and snapped shut.

  11

  The Web

  Quick as thought, I slammed open the first gate. Power flooded into me as I set my wards into place and tensed, waiting for an attack. It never came. After a few moments, I eased just a bit. I still felt the touch of magic but saw nothing in my Second Sight. Perhaps I imagined it.

  No, I felt it, too. Vex’s presence sat heavy at the forefront of my mind.

  Do you know where it came from?

  No, and I see no trace of it either.

  If Vex couldn’t see it, this practitioner possessed considerable skill.

  I searched the circle for the caster and cursed. At least one hundred stood in the temple. I couldn’t watch so many alone. Not without a spell, and I didn’t wish to risk it until I knew my enemy’s location. I glanced at Elaine, whose eyes flicked from one hooded figure to another. At least I had assistance.

  Mathers’s speech ended. He held a golden goblet and one of the gathered approached, an exaggerated sway in her hips. Mathers passed her the goblet and filled it from a wineskin he produced from beneath the altar. He replaced the skin and retrieved a dagger from within his robes. The goblet bearer stood still as stone as Mathers turned his dagger and slowly inserted the blade into the goblet.

  “In like fashion, may male join with female for the happiness of all. Let this union promote life. May all our endeavors bear fruit, and may wealth and knowledge spread throughout all lands.” He raised the dagger high overhead, then placed it on the altar.

  The woman offered the goblet to him. He took it with a bow, sipped, and handed it back. The supplicant drank as well, then turned and brought the goblet to each in the circle, one by one until, at last, it reached me. I brought the goblet to my lips and drank. A good vintage, though I tasted something unusual. A kind of subtle spice, not unpleasant, just out of place. The supplicant brought the goblet to Elaine next, and once she’d drank, on to Jones.

  Once all present had partaken, the woman returned to Mathers, who drank once more, then set it on the altar. With a gregarious smile, he threw his hands wide. “Now, let us do that for which we gathered.” Mathers’s voice exploded above the crowd like fireworks.

  I blinked.
/>   Something changed, but I didn’t know what.

  I glanced at Elaine and found her looking my way. She noticed it as well.

  Curious.

  Jones took us each by the arm and guided us forward. “These aspirants seek entrance,” he said when we stood before Mathers.

  “Have they shown their worth?” Mathers asked, his head high, and manner regal.

  “Yes.”

  “Then approach the altar,” Mathers commanded.

  Jones made us step forward, then pushed us into a kneeling position. I didn’t much care to sit on my knees with an unknown magician in the room, but I resolved to play along. For now.

  “You who stand upon the threshold of this hall, know that to enter herein means to undergo certain change. Do you still possess the will to enter?” Mathers’s words crackled through the air.

  What the hell? I thought as the echo faded.

  “Yes,” I said aloud in unison with Elaine.

  “Inheritors of a dying world, why seekest thou to enter our sacred hall?” Mathers’s eyes glowed as if the sun shone in them, though I still saw no magic.

  I blinked, and the glow dissipated.

  “I seek the light of hidden knowledge and to find that light among your ranks.” Elaine’s voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I repeated her words.

  “So be it. I bestow upon thee my blessing.” Mathers clapped his hands. The sound reverberated through the chamber, and I jumped despite myself. “Consecrate them!”

  Two of the Order approached. One carried a pitcher of water, the other a small censer, though I’d no clue from where they’d produced them. The water bearer reached Elaine first and held the pitcher over her head and poured a trickle over her. “With water, I consecrate thee. May your old life and old ways wash away,” she said, her voice decidedly feminine.