Nameless Cult

by Grey Durose

  From his face, George could tell that he was caught in an internal conflict. 'If you know anything that might help me, you have a duty to let me know.' George urged him. He was becoming concerned that Antonio was going to clam up just as the knowledge he was imparting was becoming useful, and not just galling.

  'What I am about to tell you, is an old folktale, perhaps nothing more, but my brethren have clung on to it because of the hope it offered them. It may not be true, but then again....' He shifted uneasily in his seat before resuming, 'According to the legend, when the Nameless One first came to our world, It took the blood of the one who had summoned It in to our world. The brother of his victim tracked the beast, seeking his revenge, the legend suggests that only a person of the same bloodline will be able to remove the taint of the beast forever.' A weight was visibly lifted from Antonio by the telling of his tale.

  'And I'm not of the bloodline.'

  'The trouble is; we simply don't know. We lost track of the many descendants of the Masters when the Grandmaster disbanded them. We could only follow a few of them. What we do know is that Master Giovanni was of the bloodline. We expected, perhaps wishfully, that the beast would return in his time, and this complication would not be an issue, but it was not to be.' He sighed.

  'You don't know if I can do the job, if I'm destined to succeed?' George was finding self-doubt an unpleasant and all too frequent bedfellow.

  'We will see, soon enough.'

  Antonio's tone did nothing to instil confidence in George. 'If I'm going to do this, you realise I need to know anything you can tell me of the Nameless One.' George reminded the vampire.

  'I will answer any questions you have but, you must realise, we were only his servants, much was hidden from us.' Antonio held up his craggy palms.

  'The most important things for me to know are any weaknesses, any chinks in its armour.' George was looking to cut straight to the heart of the matter.

  'All I can tell you is that they are much the same as the weaknesses of the creatures you have encountered in Iraq, London and Paris. It came to this world having already consumed many of its own kind; when it was divided, those other beings became separate once more but forever tied to the beast and unable to escape the deep-set association with the part of the beast's form they had been bound to when it was hacked to pieces. The beast does not share this weakness. They are all creatures of will alone, his is the greatest will. He has the ability to change and warp his form in an instant, in to anything he has experienced or can imagine. The only way to battle his will is to take away his corporeal form. This can be achieved a number of ways, all have one thing in common, they make it harder for his form to remain stable and, hence, tax his will.' Antonio tried to convey his thoughts on the matter, clearly he'd had the opportunity to spend a lot of time contemplating the subject and preparing for this day.

  'So that's why fire is so effective. How about light? I've had dreams where I've been told light will destroy him?' George clasped his hands together in subconscious prayer, desperately hoping Henry had done some good with his last days of free will.

  'I cannot confirm this, but it is true that the beast would not emerge during the day. When It paraded Itself, it was always in the cold moonlight. When we toiled under the sun It was content to linger in the dark chambers of Its palace.' Antonio raised an eyebrow as if considering a concept he hadn't stumbled across before.

  'And water? The legends tell of vampires not being able to cross running water.' George enquired.

  'Yes! This I know for sure, It would not abide river or fountain or even a jar of water to flow near It. When It was vanquished the first time, it was the sea that took It.' George noticed that Antonio seemed excited by this memory, despite the fact that it was also the memory of Antonio’s own destruction.

  George was still struggling to see a way he could use the knowledge, practically. 'And what of its strengths? What should I know to be cautious of?' George pressed.

  'So many, really George. This beast has power unlike anything you have fought before. It is fast, as strong as a thousand men, intelligence is the sum of Its being and It knows enchantments that are a mystery even to us. You must be very careful, you must have a plan and, of course, we will help you in any way we can.' Antonio insisted.

  'The only other question I have now is: where?' He asked.

  'The beast will reappear in the same place that It was trapped. It was so long ago and things have changed much in that time but the portal was created in the temple where It last held court. It was a pyramid-shaped construction, huge but not well made on the outside. The whole thing was covered over after he was sent away, to discourage inquisitive treasure hunters from digging in and accidentally undoing the enchantments. All I know now is that it is below a large hill that comes to a peak, near the city of Kavala in Northern Greece.'

  'I shouldn't have any trouble finding it. That should be more than enough information. You have my thanks, Antonio.' George now had a location and ammunition, things were looking up.

  'Do not thank me yet, first you must destroy all of the other parts of the beast. If even a single one of them remains you will never be able to remove It from our world. They will provide It with an anchor and, no matter how thoroughly you think you have destroyed Its physical form, It will cling on, even if It must transform Itself in to an ant to survive.'

  It was George's turn to sigh, it seemed he'd have to deal with another nine of these lesser creatures before he could take on their leader. As he was pondering this, the events in Paris popped back in to his mind. 'That reminds me, Antonio. In Paris, I was beaten to the band of cultists by someone else. They did a fine job of finishing off the followers but the creature they were bonded to was still lying in wait for me. What do you know about that, seeing as you've been following me?' George was pretty sure by now that the person responsible was right here, in Rome.

  Antonio smiled a knowing smile, 'You want to know about the woman?' He asked mysteriously.

  'So it was her! I thought as much from the way she fought me.' George let slip.

  'You attacked her? Not very gentlemanly conduct!' Antonio had a look of shocked surprise on his face.

  'She broke in to my home, it was dark. Besides, in this business there's no room for chivalry.' George replied.

  'I see, and you're correct, females can be just as dangerous if you let down your guard.' Antonio agreed.

  'Does this mean you know something about her?' He pressed.

  'A little. Her mother and grandmother seemed to have been part of a tradition of their own. They have been travelling the world for over sixty years, at times doing your job for you. They seem drawn to the unnatural. Other than that, we have little knowledge of her - or her family - beyond the grandmother. We do not consider her a threat or we would have dealt with her a long time ago. If what you tell me of her activities in Paris is true, then this is interesting. She lacked the knowledge to finish the job, if you had not been so prompt you may never have found the creature in time.' A ponderous expression came over Antonio's face.

  'It seems like her interference could be a hindrance to my work. I may have to have done with her before she makes a mistake which could cost all of us our lives, or freedom.' George suggested, his jaw clenching as unfamiliar and contradictory emotions washed over him.

  'No, let us take care of the woman. You have work enough to do.' Antonio quickly jumped in to divert George's course. George's stomach suddenly let out a loud growl. 'Ah, you need food, I must apologise for my poor manners, it has been an eternity since I needed to eat and drink like a normal man. My men will get you something and then we will give you back your belongings and send you on your way.' the old man suggested.

  'That would be greatly appreciated, Antonio.' George replied.

  They both rose from their seats and headed for the door, George had been deliberately avoiding asking Antonio about his own strengths and weaknesses in case he took it the wrong way but he found he coul
dn't resist any more. 'Sunlight has no effect on your kind, though?'

  Antonio raised an eyebrow. 'I was wondering how long it would take for you to start asking about my brethren. In answer to your question: no. My kind, as you put it, are not affected by such things, our bodies are more substantial, flesh and bone like yours. We are not held together by just willpower, like the others.' Antonio explained.

  'So, fire and running water would be of no use against you either' George was determined to push this line of questioning. Antonio seemed friendly enough but circumstances could change and there were nine more just like him out there.

  'Water, no, short of a tsunami. Fire will burn away our flesh as it would yours but, as I implied before, this would be pointless, even self-destructive, since all it would achieve is to release our spirits upon the world. Once free of the millennia of training and self-control, our spirits would no longer be able to restrain themselves from feeding and it would be a curse upon all mankind to release such creatures to feast as they wish.' Antonio looked George in the eye, 'Only once the Nameless One is gone forever will we be free. When that time comes we will offer our heads to you freely.' Antonio opened the door, disturbing the guard beyond. He motioned for George to go first and followed him in to the corridor.

  'Do your guards speak English?' George asked, almost casually.

  'This one?’ Antonio indicated the man by the door, ‘No. Some of the others may. Why do you ask?'

  'It's just that I was wondering about what happens to them, when you're gone I mean. I prefer other mortals to not know about the sort of things we've discussed.' George explained as discretely as he could.

  'Don't worry about them, George, they are family.' He furrowed his brow and projected his bottom lip, nodding reassuringly.

  'Vampires can have children? Or do you mean you can pass on your curse to others?' George couldn't hide the sudden anxiety this caused him.

  'Neither. Several of the brethren already had families when we were transformed, these people are their mortal descendants. They are only told what they need to know, in order to carry out our instructions, and once we are gone they will inherit all that we own, a considerable amount of wealth and property but they will remember nothing.'

  'Very thorough of you.' George remarked.

  Antonio burst in to laughter, their conversation thus far had been so serious in nature that it caught George by surprise. It was a loud roaring laugh that ill-matched his frail appearance. 'We have had a VERY long time to prepare!' Antonio declared, still chuckling to himself.

  After George had eaten, they exchanged contact details and said farewell. One of Antonio's men drove George to his temporary home on the outskirts Rome.

  Chapter Twenty

  Carlos had been going through the motions of trying to contact the elusive Master Javeed. He'd tried numerous times to send a message via the email address, which had been their previous means of contact, but each time the message had bounced back.

  With no other options left to him, Carlos had begun to trawl the internet in search of another avenue. Finally he'd struck gold. A message-board, hidden deep in the backwaters of the dark web, showed some promise as a place where such a man might be found. Carlos had begun leaving messages; each time mentioning Master Javeed, returning each day to wade through the unhelpful responses from the well-meaning or troll-like users who chose to reply to a post they knew nothing about. He sat in his office, his desk the picture of order, the windows dimmed and his laptop open. Carlos was beginning to think that Javeed might be a myth, a ghost of the online corridors, who flitted in to people's lives then disappeared, only to be born again under a fresh identity. He brought up a secure browser, navigated to the message-board and took a deep breath and a sip of strong, black coffee.

  'You don't really think this guy is going to answer, do you?' John asked, tiring of the chase already.

  'I wouldn't be wasting my time on him if I didn't think there was a chance.' Carlos was getting pretty tired of the chase himself but John's pessimism made him all the more determined to go on, in an odd, contrary way.

  'Don't waste too much time on him. Give him another few days, then start looking for alternatives.'

  'If there were alternatives, I'd already be working on them. The only other way would be to get the company working on it and I've got a pretty good idea what Frida would make of that kind of request.' Carlos rolled his eyes and sighed. The message-board had popped up while John had distracted him and Carlos quickly began searching for his strand.

  'Fuck Frida, she won't be around long enough to cause problems.' John grumbled.

  The strand came up and Carlos began skipping through the pages of useless responses. 'No. No. No. No. Uh-uh. Hell no. Wait, no.' He sighed and took another sip then put the cup down and rubbed his eyes.

  'Nothing again. I told you, this guy's not going to get in touch unless there's something in it for him. He helped you out before because he wanted to get you out of the cult - and we still don't know why - but what makes you think he'd come riding to the rescue again just cause you're having a few problems with side-effects?'

  Carlos could hear the logic in John's reasoning, but he had to do something. The status quo was intolerable and it was the only other option he had on the table right now. 'We haven't finished yet, John. A few more pages and we can forget about it for another day.'

  'Go right ahead, not like it's my time you're wasting.'

  Carlos continued through the pages, checking them off as he went. It was a small source of amusement to note the sheer quantity of cranks and lunatics out there, not to mention the amount of imagination they were willing to expend just to annoy another human being. It wasn't until the final page that he noticed something out of the ordinary. It was another message claiming to be from Master Javeed, which forced him to skim it, just in case. It was pretty standard stuff, for the most part, but in the last line it mentioned 'the extraction' and said he hoped Carlos had enjoyed its benefits.

  'That's him, that's the guy!' Carlos cried.

  'Are you sure, Carlos? Just looks like another crank to me.'

  'It's him all right. He knows stuff a crank wouldn't have access to. There's a link in the middle of the text, he wants to talk.'

  'Careful, Carlos, that could be a link to anything. The last thing we need is somebody breaking through our security and leaking out all the details of our little plan!' It was too late, Carlos had already clicked.

  A chat-box popped up in the middle of the screen and the rest of the screen went grey, frozen.

  'Godamit, Carlos. I warned you it was just some guy fucking with you.'

  'Shut up, John.' Carlos could feel panic reaching up from below his heart, prickles of sweat on his forehead.

  He clicked in the message line of the chat-box and typed out a message.

  : Is that Master Javeed?

  He waited patiently for a reply, he wasn't sure if his co-conspirator was online. Suddenly the box indicated that Javeed was typing.

  : Carlos, who else would know your secrets?

  : Nobody, I hope

  : What can I do for you, did the extraction work?

  : The extraction worked fine, but it did cause an unexpected problem...

  : What kind of problem?

  : I'm kind of a 2 for 1 these days

  : You are pregnant??

  John couldn't help laughing, it fitted quite well with his opinion of Carlos.

  : Not like that; in my head. I have a tenant living in my brain

  : Uncomfortable. Do you mean a parasite or some kind of presence?

  : He’s a parasite and a presence. Just a voice, no body

  : I see. What do you expect me to do about it?

  : You got me in to this, I thought maybe you knew a way of removing the problem

  : I can tell you how to kill it

  : He can see what you're saying.... probably best if you tell me how to move him

  : do you have a body to move him to?


  : No. Can't do that, going to make him something more suitable

  : That is a problem, Carlos. I can probably solve it but it is going to cost you

  : Money no object

  : Money was not what I had in mind

  : What then?

  : I trade in favours, you will owe me. Whatever I want, when I want it

  Carlos had to stop and think about it for a few moments, it didn't sound like the kind of deal he'd normally agree to.

  : Ok, what do I do now?

  : do nothing, I do not even know if I can help yet. If I can, I will contact you

  The chat-box closed automatically and the rest of the screen returned to its normal functional state. Carlos leaned back in his chair and blew out a long breath, wondering what he'd got himself in to and if, when his plan came to fruition, he could get out of it.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jacqueline arrived at her hotel and was pondering what George might have been up to. She'd observed him out of the corner of her eye as they left the station and was well aware he was in the taxi behind her but, to her surprise - or disappointment - he hadn't followed her all the way. Her package had arrived - a self-addressed wooden crate containing her heavier armaments and equipment - and she'd also had a car delivered. She could sense she was closer to her target but there was some way to go. The anticipation of the climax to another hunt was building, this was her favourite time.

  Jacqueline packed her equipment and made her way down to her car as soon it was dark. Sensible clothing and footwear were the order of the day, even if they didn't fit in with the spirit of Rome. She drove through the streets, following the strong internal tug, allowing it to guide her. Her instincts seemed to be leading her towards Ostia.