Mammon

by J. B. Thomas

  Yes, she’d captured the vastness that was his new home.

  ‘What should I paint next? The indoor pool? The ceiling there is gorgeous! It’d be a challenge! Although, my neck will get stiff . . . what about the great hall? Oh, I know – the opium den!’

  Malcolm nodded. ‘Yeah. In fact, that’s the one place I’d actually get off this bed for.’ He rolled to his feet. ‘Come on.’

  ‘Hold on! I need my paints! And another canvas –’

  Malcolm grabbed her arm and yanked her to him. ‘You won’t need them now, baby.’ They walked towards the side entrance in an awkward stumble, her giggles piercing the air. He shot a look back. ‘We won’t require your services for the rest of the afternoon, Halphas.’

  The old man watched the pair slip away. He gritted his teeth, swallowed his irritation at the boy’s attitude, and moved across the grass towards the mansion. Passing through the marble splendour that was the great hall, Halphas paused to gaze up at the grand staircase.

  ‘Here we go again,’ he sighed.

  During his servitude, Halphas had witnessed six attempts by Mammon to open a Dark Rift.

  And six times Halphas had stopped him.

  He did not wish to speculate on what his future would hold if Mammon ever found out.

  The last boy – Jeremy – had come shockingly close. But then, Halphas had terrorised the lad, telling him how Mammon would wear his body out and bury him when he was done.

  Halphas peered across the room and caught his reflection. He should have been dead so many years ago. The only gift Mammon ever gave him? An extraordinarily long life. Oh, the cruelty of it. He remembered Mammon’s gifting words: ‘You always said that the greatest gift you could ever have would be to serve me forever, Halphas.’

  ‘Damn you,’ he muttered. He limped on through the hall.

  His service was a sham. He knew Mammon only kept him around because of his unique gift: to ‘tune in’ and detect rift activity on Earth, then locate the source.

  If Halphas ever stopped providing this gift, Mammon would destroy him.

  If a Dark Rift was opened tomorrow night, Mammon would destroy him.

  There was only one choice. Now he had to enter the most dangerous stage of the game.

  Sabotage.

  He watched as yet another limousine pulled up outside the mansion. ‘Fools,’ he hissed. These Earthborn demons, these elite members of society, these pawns who were offering up their bodies. Hosts – for Mammon’s allies to possess, once they were through the Dark Rift.

  They would all just have to be disappointed.

  For Halphas’s life depended on Mammon’s army never getting through.

  MAMMON SWEPT ASIDE the curtains that separated the opium den from the swimming pool enclosure. Seemingly irritated, he scanned the body lying face-first on the velvet settee.

  ‘Ahem.’

  Malcolm’s face sprang up; bloated eyes battered the sleep away. ‘Oh. Didn’t see you there.’

  Mammon sank on to the settee next to Malcolm. ‘I take it you are comfortable here, in this house?’ He crossed his legs; his fingers stroking the velvet.

  ‘Yeah.’ Malcolm sat up. ‘Although I was expecting to find some actual opium here.’

  Mammon tutted. ‘Malcolm. Do you think I would permit drug abuse in this house? Anyway, it might stop you performing your duties for me.’

  Malcolm blinked. ‘Yeah.’ He removed himself from the settee and stretched.

  ‘You’ve rested this morning, and we have two more days to perfect your technique.’ Mammon stood up. ‘So, you’ll be happy to spend another day in rehearsal.’ He strode across and slung his arm around Malcolm’s shoulder. ‘We have a lot to prepare for.’

  Malcolm followed Mammon through the pool house. He gazed through the arched windows at the willow trees, which were shaking in the wind. The pool was immaculate in its stillness, reflecting the many Grecian statues that stood about its perimeter like silent watchmen.

  They walked through a circular sitting room, where lemon-coloured curtains hugged the wall and a servant rubbed polish into a chandelier. The man was quick to lower his head as Mammon walked past.

  Malcolm gave the cinema a longing glance as he passed it. He’d hoped to watch an action movie in there with the bikini girl this afternoon.

  ‘Right.’ Mammon stopped in the great hall. He gave Malcolm an encouraging smile. ‘It’s all up to you, my lad.’

  Malcolm climbed to the top of the stairs, turned around and took a deep breath. ‘I hope I can make it last today.’

  ‘Practice makes perfect, my boy. Consider your prior failures as stepping stones to the reality of what you will achieve on the night.’ Mammon leaned on the banister. ‘Halphas!’

  ‘I’m here, Master.’ The old man hurried across the floor.

  ‘Bear witness. Today, our Malcolm will open a perfect rift.’

  ‘Right you are, Master.’ Halphas stood a few feet back from Mammon and watched Malcolm squeeze his fingernails into his sweaty palms. Inwardly, Halphas chuckled.

  ‘Um . . .’ Malcolm scratched his head. ‘Won’t they be able to track us doing this?’

  ‘They?’ Mammon said.

  ‘Renfield. My old employer.’

  Mammon smiled. ‘This mansion is protected thanks to the electromagnetic fields built into the walls.’

  ‘Really?’ Malcolm ran his fingers over the white paint. ‘What, like a Faraday cage, or something? Whoa. You’re really serious about all this.’

  ‘Yes.’ Mammon clicked his fingers.

  Halphas smiled. He knew Master’s impatient gestures.

  Malcolm dropped his hand and began stretching his arms in wide circles. ‘Okay, so do you want me to try now?’

  Mammon nodded. ‘Absolutely.’

  Minutes passed. As the sweat streamed down Malcolm’s cheeks, Halphas imagined the high priests at Tarra Satana, chanting in the sand-swept temple. They wouldn’t have perspired like this. The crystal would have done all of the work.

  ‘That’s it! There’s the beginning!’ Mammon ran up the stairs.

  A tiny grey cloud hovered in the air, around eye level with Malcolm.

  ‘Okay, careful now!’ Mammon edged sideways, careful not to touch the newborn rift, and stood next to the boy.

  ‘Right. Let’s make it bigger . . . excellent. Now, we wait to see what appears. My associates will be jostling one another – it will be amusing to see who wins the race.’ Mammon’s eyes, birdlike in their intensity – fixed on the cloud as it began to bulge, like a hand was pressing against the inside.

  Then, the rift gave birth. A creature slipped out, falling onto the tiles in a decaying heap of bone and grey flesh. Slit-like eyes, the irises a dull white with a red pupil. Webbed fingers and toes reminiscent of an infant that did not develop fully while in its mother’s womb; the grey skin of a reanimated corpse.

  Malcolm panted. ‘What is that?’

  ‘Not from my dimension.’ Mammon’s face was twisted in disgust. ‘We only move in pure, perfect Shadow. Halphas – bring me the Luger.’

  The old man rifled through a small bureau drawer. ‘Here you are, Master.’

  Mammon snatched the pistol and pointed it at the creature on the floor. Shots rang out and the body jerked at the impact.

  ‘I think it was already dead,’ Malcolm said.

  ‘Abomination.’ Mammon lowered the gun. ‘Get rid of it, Halphas.’ He waved a white cloth in Malcolm’s face. ‘Clean up. You look terrible. No, I don’t want the handkerchief back. Now, go and drink a glass of water and come back here straight after. This setback will not deter us. Smile! All will be well. Your predecessors never got this far.’

  He turned back to Halphas. ‘Do hurry up and remove that thing.’

  * * * />
  HALPHAS DUMPED THE creature’s body into the boot of the limousine. He peered into the kitchen: the boy was still guzzling water. Halphas pushed the door open and wandered over to where Malcolm was standing, propped up by the bench, glass in hand.

  He stopped and studied the boy’s pallid face. ‘Well, that wasn’t very successful, was it?’

  Malcolm drained the glass and slammed it on to the benchtop. He eyed Halphas with an angry glare. ‘You couldn’t do it.’

  Halphas folded his arms. ‘You do realise that Master won’t keep you around, even if you do eventually succeed.’

  Malcolm smirked. ‘You’re just jealous because he thinks I’m better than you.’

  ‘I saw how much you perspired up there.’ Halphas reached into the cupboard and selected a glass. He filled it with water and took a sip. Leaning on the benchtop, he gave the boy a smug smile. ‘You don’t know how much power is needed to open a Dark Rift. It’s enough to kill a man stronger than you, even with Master’s help.’

  ‘I’m going to practise. By the time the ceremony comes around, I’ll have perfected it. I’ve still got two days.’

  ‘We’ll see.’ Halphas emptied his glass into the sink and walked out of the room.

  Minutes later, he drove out of the mansion grounds and turned left on the highway, heading south. On the passenger seat, an invitation. In his pocket, a piece of the boy’s old uniform.

  If he wanted to stop Mammon this time, he was going to need help.

  ‘I HAVE NO doubt that Malcolm is in the company of a high demon.’ Diana looked around the conference room, where a mix of reactions met her stare.

  Lucius nodded. ‘It would seem so.’

  Marcus threw him an angry look. ‘There is no proof of that.’

  ‘From what Joe tells us, Mammon Jones is desperate to open a rift. Now we find that Malcolm has developed that ability and has since disappeared. It doesn’t take much intelligence to piece this together!’

  ‘Sarah hasn’t picked up on any rift activity,’ Agatha said.

  Diana ran her fingers through her hair. ‘No, but the one time we do may well be the one time that the world as we know it changes. We can’t leave it too late!’

  ‘Don’t be melodramatic,’ Marcus said.

  Grace scowled. ‘She’s not. This is real.’

  Marcus leaned back in his chair and settled a cold stare on Grace. She met his eyes for a few seconds and then turned her attention to Diana. Her heart pounded. Ivan rested his hand on her knee underneath the table. She could almost hear his voice: Be calm, little one.

  ‘If we can prove that Mammon Jones is a legitimate target, other sarsareh orders will join us and provide support. He could be anywhere – we need our networks to help track him down.’ Diana looked to her right. ‘Sarah, you and Seth do the research. Find out what you can about any alleged criminal activities – not just on his part, but concerning those in his employ. I need answers by this afternoon. Get to work.’ The team filtered out of the room. Diana stood up and looked at Lucius. ‘Shall we?’

  Marcus reached out and held Lucius’s arm. ‘Diana, I need a private word with my brother.’

  Diana gave Lucius an enquiring look.

  Lucius nodded. ‘Go on. I’ll meet you in the office.’

  ‘Right.’ She closed the door behind her. ‘Ivan!’ She hurried along the corridor to catch up; he, Grace and Joe were almost at the recreation room.

  Grace looked at her aunt. ‘What is it?’

  ‘An administrative matter, dear. You and Joe go on ahead. Ivan will be with you in a moment.’

  ‘Oh. Okay.’ Grace shot a quick look at Ivan before following Joe down the corridor. Diana waited until they disappeared into the recreation room.

  ‘About my niece.’ She gave him a critical stare.

  ‘Yes?’ Ivan’s face was open, his posture relaxed.

  ‘Are you serious about her?’

  ‘Yes. I am.’

  ‘I have concerns.’ Diana folded her arms and glanced around. ‘About your relationship.’ She held up her hand. ‘Don’t get me wrong: you’re probably the one man here that I would want to see her with. You’re honest, honourable and trustworthy.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘But you’re her commanding officer.’ She began a slow walk towards the recreation room. ‘Do you think that you might find it hard to treat her as a soldier?’

  Ivan fell into step next to her. ‘I have given this much thought, Diana. I am not going to give Grace any leeway as my subordinate. I have spoken with her already, and she understands this. I want her to be able to defend herself and be a good, strong fighter.’

  ‘Right. Well, if that is true, I’m prepared to give this relationship my blessing. You do understand that I am standing in for her parents. She’s young, impressionable and vulnerable.’

  ‘I know.’ A swell of protectiveness filled Ivan. ‘And although I will train her to the best of my ability, remember this: nobody will hurt her while I’m alive, Diana.’

  ‘I’m going to hold you to that.’ But Diana nursed a secret, relieved smile as she headed towards the office.

  * * *

  IN THE CONFERENCE room, Lucius edged away from his brother’s grip. ‘What is it?’

  ‘We’re not going to send Joe on this mission.’

  Lucius scowled. ‘You can’t be serious!’

  ‘We need him for more important work.’

  ‘I hate to break this to you, Marcus, but this mission is probably the most important thing Joe will ever do.’

  Marcus drew a deep breath and fixed his eyes on Lucius. ‘You are not going to send him, and that’s my final word.’

  Lucius stared at him for a few seconds. ‘Is that right?’ Shaking his head, he stood up and walked out of the room.

  * * *

  SARAH RAN DOWN the corridor, a computer tablet wedged under her arm. She knocked once on the office door and burst in. Lucius was sitting opposite Diana. Both wore tense expressions.

  ‘I’ve looked into Jones’s history.’

  Diana looked over. ‘And?’

  Sarah chewed her lip. ‘Mammon Jones is as clean as a whistle. No criminal record; no allegations against him personally.’

  ‘Oh. Well, that’s no help, then.’

  ‘But, plenty of people working under him have been implicated in a range of crimes, including drug-trafficking in South America and Asia, and people-smuggling. There have been rumours of involvement in Eastern European slave trading and illegal arms sales in Africa.’ Sarah rolled her eyes. ‘Of course, none of this can be proven. Nobody’s ever been able to lay charges. Jones must have the best lawyers in the universe. He even sued a police department for making allegations against one of his company directors.’

  ‘Any word on Mr Jones’s whereabouts?’

  Sarah’s face fell. ‘We can’t seem to track him. He’s not on his yacht, or in his apartment in the City. They are the only residences he owns here.’

  ‘Well, the only ones registered under his name,’ said Lucius.

  ‘There’s been no sign that he’s left Border City,’ Sarah added. ‘His plane is still at the airport.’

  ‘He does have a huge jet,’ Lucius said. ‘Enough to carry hundreds of demons.’

  Sarah coughed. ‘What do you want me to do now, Diana?’

  ‘You and Seth meet with Ivan, Joe and Grace. They’re in the rec room. Now that we’ve got some idea that he’s still here, and you might be able to provide some intelligence to help them.’

  She gave Sarah an encouraging nod. ‘Dismissed.’

  Diana watched the girl close the door and then looked back at Lucius. ‘You were saying?’

  He took a deep breath and set his jaw. ‘I realise now that I haven’t shown the lead
ership that you all deserve.’

  Diana raised her eyebrows. ‘Quitting?’

  ‘It’s time I set an example. Not just with my bad habits, but with how things are run here. This is a military facility, after all.’

  ‘May I speak freely?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Your brother runs this place, not you.’

  Lucius met her gaze, but with a self-conscious glint in his eyes. ‘That’s a fair comment. But as of today, that changes. We’re going to take back control. Marcus has kept too much information from us.’

  Diana nodded. ‘I’ve always been curious about the identity of our benefactors.’

  ‘As have I. Not to mention the reason why he needs so many guards up there.’

  ‘It was easy to turn a blind eye, or even to justify it,’ said Diana. ‘Given the nature of the inmate population.’

  ‘He doesn’t want me to send Joe on the mission.’

  ‘That’s absurd! Why on Earth?’

  ‘Apparently there are more important jobs in line for Joe.’ Lucius stood up. ‘I don’t know about you, but I am tired of being kept ignorant. I am going to confront my brother and acquire the information we need. I’m also going to bring the majority of his guard back to active service here.’

  Diana raised her eyebrows. ‘He won’t like that.’

  ‘We have bigger problems than him to worry about. We need as much manpower as possible if we’re going to take down Mammon Jones.’

  ‘Really, we’re going to need some outside help.’ Diana picked up the phone. She began to dial but then stopped and gave Lucius an enquiring look. ‘Shall I?’

  Lucius nodded. ‘Do it.’ He stood up. ‘I will meet with you all when I come back from speaking with my brother.’

  Diana pressed the phone to her ear. ‘Hello, Jorge? We have a problem, and we need your assistance.’