by Arjay Lewis
Luis was the last one to step through the door. He stopped and stared at the group. “How did—”
“Luis, the marching band was an illusion,” Eddie clarified.
“Must you tell him that?” Bankrock objected. “The code of secrecy is quite—”
“He’s my apprentice!”
“So you say!” Bankrock turned to Marlowe. “Did he fill out the appropriate paperwork?”
“Give it a rest, Bankrock.” Marlowe gave a weary sigh.
“Someone close the door,” Eddie recommended.
Luis took the doorknob in his hand, and began to close the door when there was a sudden flash of light at the threshold.
“What the hell?” Luis bellowed.
All the wizards gestured as their individual staffs flew into their hands at the ready.
Caleb fell into the room. His body was at first somewhat transparent, as if he were a ghost. He then twitched several times and became more solid with each passing second. He sat up quickly and looked fearfully at the ring of staves pointed at him.
“What is the meaning of this?” Marlowe turned to Drusilicus.
“I have no idea!” Drusilicus’s face turned beet red. “What are you doing here?”
“I was—I was—” Caleb stammered, his eyes darting about the room as he struggled for an answer.
“Isn’t this Drusilicus’s apprentice?” Bankrock puzzled.
Marlowe lowered his staff, strode to the young man and with one quick motion yanked a chain from around his neck. The chain pulled Caleb’s head forward and then snapped, causing the young man to fall backward.
“I believe this is our answer,” Marlowe held aloft the broken chain from which a small, bronze-colored disk hung.
“Is that one of Solomon’s pentacles?” Bankrock walked over to peer at the sigil in Marlowe’s hand. “Oh, I say, nicely made.”
“It is the sixth pentacle of the sun, which renders the bearer invisible,” Marlowe turned his angry eyes on Drusilicus. “It appears your apprentice followed us.”
“From New York?” Drusilicus stormed. “How did he teleport with us?”
“If he placed his hand on one of us, he would have shifted location with the group,” Marlowe pocketed the talisman.
“How did he just appear like that?” Luis finally closed the door.
“Simple,” Marlowe expounded. “He was not aware of the magical barrier I had placed around the house. He tried to sneak in through the open door, and when he passed through the barrier, it disrupted the power of his amulet.”
“Speak, fool!” Drusilicus demanded of Caleb. “What were you doing?”
“I was only watching,” Caleb spoke up, defiantly. He rubbed the red line on his neck that formed when Marlowe yanked off the amulet.
“To what end?” Marlowe lifted his staff, and aimed it at the hapless Caleb.
“I’ve been watching the townhouse for days,” Caleb put his hands up defensively. “I wanted to know what was going on.”
“An apprentice spying on his master!” Bankrock was appalled. “This is unheard of!”
“You have no right to keep your betters under surveillance,” Drusilicus growled.
“I did it to keep an eye on the cop,” Caleb got to his feet with a glance to Eddie. “I thought he was going to blame me for everything.”
Eddie drew closer to the young man. “What are you talking about?”
“After you questioned me at my place, I was sure you were going to lay the blame on me for the demon. That’s where you were headed.”
“Look,” Eddie advised. “I don’t like the stuff you pull, and I sure don’t like your attitude, but I only want the truth.”
Caleb hung his head and his eyes darted to the others again. The fear was lessened, but he still glowered like a caged animal.
“How long have you been following me?” Eddie barked.
“Who said I followed you?” Caleb’s voice grew sullen.
“How long?”
Caleb lifted his head with a jolt, as if struck. “On and off for the last two days. I put on the amulet and followed you to my master’s house.”
“You entered my house without permission?” Drusilicus seethed.
“No, I waited outside,” Caleb said. “Then I rode in the subway car uptown and hung out.”
“Were you watching Marlowe and me leave the townhouse this morning?” Eddie questioned.
“No I didn’t get there until about an hour ago. I mean, I couldn’t really see much from outside, and I knew I couldn’t sneak in—”
“So,” Marlowe’s tone was still harsh, “you saw myself and the others leave and decided to tag along.”
“Well, yeah,” Caleb muttered. “I figured if I was nearby and anything went down I could help. Y’know, redeem myself.”
“All you have done is demonstrate how truly unworthy you are,” Drusilicus announced, “I have grave doubts about whether I should entrust my staff to you at all.”
“And why would you be worried about that?” Eddie asserted. “While we are talking about handing out the staff to one who is ‘worthy,’ I want to state that there is no one I trust more in this world than Luis.”
Luis’s face opened in a large grin. “Thanks!”
“Oh, great plan,” Drusilicus snorted. “Shall we all go forth and give our staffs to any we meet? That would guarantee the success of the Great Evil, and the destruction of this world!”
“There is more to this, Eddie,” Marlowe added, grimly. “Besides our young hitchhiker, I spoke to the others. It appears I made a slight miscalculation.”
“What?” Eddie urged.
“I assumed that since tomorrow was the Solstice, the demon would make his sacrifice then.”
“And that’s wrong?”
“I’m afraid, dear Edward,” Eugenia elucidated. “That the Great Evil must assert his power before the solstice.”
“True,” Ahbay added. “He must act when the balance of light and darkness is still in his favor.”
“What does that mean?” Eddie asked
“It means,” Marlowe intoned, “that the sacrifice to open the seventh seal must take place this very night.”
Fifty-Three
Eddie stood stock-still, as he tried to absorb the information thrown at him.
“Tonight? Where? When?”
“The when is obvious,” Bankrock revealed. “Midnight would be the time all dark and demonic situations occur.”
“We do not know where, and have no prophet who can tell us,” Marlowe lamented. “Unless you’ve had another vision, Bankrock.”
“I still have no idea where the first came from,” Bankrock grumbled.
“Man, we’ve got to find out,” Eddie worried.
“I have tried.” A dark expression passed over Marlowe’s face. “Again and again I’ve reached out to the spirit of the greatest prophet of us all—”
“My teacher,” Drusilicus uttered reverently.
“Greywacke the First, right?” Eddie asked.
“Correct,” Marlowe said. “I believe it was he who sent me the vision of warning last night.”
“Huh! That was a lot of help,” Luis snapped.
“Could Greywacke be trying to get through?” Eddie looked from person to person.
“Once a wizard moves on,” Ahbay shook his head. “His spirit is beyond the reach of all on this plane.”
“And it is against all regulations!” Bankrock added.
The others groaned.
Marlowe began to pace. He seemed to exude a sense of age, as if his many years on the earth had finally caught up to him. “I see now that this has been a subtle plan, which has led us as sheep toward the slaughter.”
“Perhaps this might help?” Caleb lifted another chain off over his head and held it out.
Marlowe sighed and said, “Drusilicus, could you take away your apprentice’s toys before he annoys me any further.”
Drusilicus drew close to Caleb. “Give me your talismans.”
&n
bsp; “But master, look at this!” Caleb held out the amulet excitedly. “I made it special.”
“Why?” Drusilicus took the silver disk.
“I was led to make it,” Caleb lowered his voice. “I had a vision.”
At this Marlowe, Ahbay, Eugenia and even Luis turned their heads to look at the young man.
"A vision?” Bankrock interjected. “Are you qualified for vision reception?”
“Well, it came to me,” Caleb pushed the disk into Drusilicus’s hand.
Drusilicus stared at the silver disk and handed it to Marlowe, who drew in breath in surprise.
“This is the symbol that is upon Greywacke’s arch,” Marlowe marveled.
“Yes, branches and leaves that form a face,” Caleb exulted, almost giddy.
Marlowe held the amulet between his hands. “I sense an energy within.”
Drusilicus stepped forward and held his hand high. “More important, if we are to do battle this very night, we must ordain the Staff of Water.” He eyed Luis from head to toe. “I would advise we select someone who knows what to do with it.”
Luis turned to Eddie. “How did I get involved in this?”
“He could carry the staff,” Eddie stood next to his immense friend. “You couldn’t find a finer man or a purer heart.”
“Wait a minute!” Luis objected. “You wanna give me one of those sticks?”
“His grasp of the situation is astounding,” Drusilicus sneered.
“Drusilicus, please.” Marlowe kept his eyes fixed on the amulet in his hand.
Luis raised his hands in protest. “Hold on. I was willing to be an apprentice or whatever you call it. But I don’t want one of those sticks.”
“Luis,” Eddie lowered his voice. “It could be me and you, side by side, like always.”
“And have my life turned upside down?” Luis said. “Look Eddie, I love you man, but I want to get back to my normal routine. I want my biggest problems to be paying the bills, getting along with Maria, and worrying about my kids. I don’t want magic, demons, and all this other stuff.”
The group fell silent.
“You…don’t want it?” Bankrock finally uttered.
“Hell, no,” Luis said, then faced his partner. “But, Eddie, I’m here for you. I jus’ don‘t want to be a player.”
Eddie nodded slowly. Luis was right. The night he gained the staff did nothing but make his world more complicated.
“Well, then,” Drusilicus announced. “I guess that ends the discussion. There is only one other available candidate.”
“I’ll get the damn thing,” Eddie headed for the door to the kitchen.
As he entered the room, Cerise looked up. “Dinner will be ready shortly, I hope there’ll be enough.”
“I’ve never known you to run out of food,” Eddie forced a smile.
He hated to give Drusilicus what he wanted, but there truly was no one else. He walked through the kitchen, opened the closet, and extracted the marred aluminum broom handle.
“Is that your new stick, Eddie?” Cerise frowned as she watched him. “It’s not as nice as Mr. Marlowe’s.”
“Well,” Eddie said with a shrug, “it’s not how it looks, it’s the magic in it.”
“I believe you’ve used that line on me before,” Cerise gave him a wink.
Eddie grew serious for a moment. “I need to call William. Did he take his cell phone?”
“He’s due home any minute,” Cerise said, took a pot off the stove and drained off the water as she held the lid in place.
“I just want to make sure he’s all right,” Eddie said, heading to the wall-mounted phone.
The back door shut with a crash, and Eddie jumped.
“Young man!” Cerise yelled, without even a look up from the pot. “There is no need to slam the door!”
“Sorry, Mom,” William sighed.
Eddie turned and smiled at his son. “Everything okay? You have fun?”
“It was rad, Dad.” William offered his fist for his father to bump, which Eddie did.
“Don’t start that jive stuff in my house,” Cerise said.
“Yes, Mom,” Eddie and William spoke in unison, then both laughed.
“Very funny, very funny. Thank you Edward Joseph Berman for encouraging such behavior.”
“Sorry.” Eddie smirked.
“Get out of our kitchen.” Eleanor smiled, but her tone was firm. “Or I’ll personally whip both your butts!”
“That does it for me, son.” Eddie headed for the door. “I know she means it.”
“Wow! You mean grandma used to whack your butt?” William followed closely behind.
“Only when he needed it!” Eleanor yelled as they left the room.
Eddie returned to the living room with William, who was startled to find the group of strangers.
“We’re having a kind of a meeting,” Eddie explained. “You go wash up, they’re joining us for dinner.”
William shrugged, and galloped up the stairs.
“Are you going to stand there, or give me the staff?” Drusilicus remarked impatiently.
“What?” Eddie ridiculed, his arms open. “You in a hurry, got another demon to fight?”
“I would prefer it in my hands before dark,” Drusilicus confided, then added almost painfully, “Eddie.”
“I think I liked it better when you called me lieutenant,” Eddie handed the stick to Drusilicus. “Can we do this here?”
Marlowe finally raised is eyes from the medallion, and with a dazed look said, “Let us go out to the backyard.”
Everyone rose and followed Marlowe as he walked out of the living room and through the back door just off the kitchen.
“It’s very hard to believe about Trefoil,” Eugenia shook her head sadly.
“You know someone for centuries,” Ahbay deplored, “then you find you do not know him at all.”
“I was suspicious of him the entire time!” Bankrock trilled. “The Dark Sleep, indeed.”
“Come now, Bankrock,” Marlowe commented. “You were as fooled as the rest of us.”
“I was being clever,” Bankrock stated.
“You’re not happy about this,” Luis spoke in a low tone to Eddie.
“I don’t trust Drusilicus. But, we’re out of options.”
They walked out past the patio and onto the lawn. One at a time, they transformed their clothing to wizard garb and brought forth their staffs. Only Drusilicus, Caleb, and Luis were still in modern dress.
“Sergeant,” Marlowe requested, “may we ask you to stay at the door of the house and keep anyone from interrupting us, please?”
Luis gave a glance to Caleb. “What about him?”
“He must stay,” Marlowe conceded.
Caleb gave a bow and said, “Oh thank you most wise and—”
“Hush, before I reconsider,” Marlow cajoled.
Luis gave a nod and walked back to the house.
“But can’t Luis—” Eddie began as Marlowe placed his hand on Eddie’s shoulder.
“He cannot be part of this, Eddie.” Marlowe then turned to Caleb. “As for you, stay out of the circle until I ask for you.”
Caleb bowed and stepped back, a smile on his face.
Bankrock looked at the others. “Shouldn’t we assemble the coven? Or bring in the—”
“Silence, Bankrock,” Marlowe commanded. “We must take action now. Your staff, Drusilicus.”
Drusilicus reached into his pocket and extracted a silver pocket watch. “I kept it in the form my master used before me,” He said, and handed the watch to Marlowe.
With a gentle wave, Marlowe transformed Drusilicus’ suit into a simple blue robe. Drusilicus held out the aluminum pole and it transformed into a solid staff of wood.
The four other wizards moved into a circle, and began the familiar low chant. Eddie found he actually knew the strange words.
Marlowe held up his hands, and the group fell silent.
“Drusilicus Greywacke,” Marlowe boo
med, “are you here by your own free will?”
“I am,” Drusilicus answered, unabashed.
“You are being asked to take in your possession the staff of the element water,” Marlowe went on. “Drusilicus Greywacke, are you prepared to accept this heavy burden?”
“I agree.”
“Do you swear by your oath, before this honored assembly?”
“I do!”
“Huzzah,” the other four said, with Eddie coming in a bit late.
“Do you accept him, upon his oath to join us?”
“We hear and affirm,” Eddie, Eugenia, Bankrock and Ahbay declared.
“Do you accept Drusilicus Greywacke as one of the Five?”
“We do!” came the reply.
“Then as he who carries the staff of the element spirit, I command that the Staff of Water be cleaved unto Drusilicus Greywacke.”
“Huzzah,” the others chimed.
A proud smile, almost a sneer appeared on Drusilicus’s face.
With a gentle wave Marlowe’s staff sent a beam of white light to Drusilicus’s new staff. It was joined by the others, who each projected their own light. The staff glowed blue, and the light surrounded Drusilicus. He closed his eyes for a moment, as the power went into and around him.
They each withdrew their color, and Drusilicus absorbed the blue light within himself and opened his eyes.
“It is done,” Marlowe waved to Caleb. “Now, as for thee. Caleb Heinz, step forward.”
The black-haired boy walked into the circle. With a wave of Marlowe’s staff, his modern clothing shifted into a simple white tunic.
“I thought he wasn’t worthy,” Eddie hinted, which caused Caleb to scowl at him.
“Hush,” Marlowe implored. “Let us begin, my friends.”
They chanted a second time. The group went through the words of the ordination again, with Caleb giving the correct responses. Throughout, Caleb beamed. Eddie noticed that he was actually not a bad looking young man when he wasn’t busy being sullen.
I hope we’re doing the right thing, Eddie thought, all the way around.
“There is one caveat I must add,” Marlowe put in, after several “Huzzahs” from the group.
Caleb’s smile faded.
“Your actions of the past week are suspect,” Marlowe accused. “Therefore, as coven master, and bearer of the Staff of Spirit, I command that this staff may be taken from you by my command, if I deem it so. Do you agree to this stipulation?”