The Unforgiven Sin

by R. Twine

  ‘But what about the misunderstandings between him and Phil?’ I asked.

  ‘This might have been a smokescreen, a kind of alibi for all the controversial and dubious moments in his life,’ Natalie surmised.

  ‘I don’t think so,’ I said, still obstinate. ‘I’m sure someone’s been manipulating Michael in order to lead us astray from the right path…’

  ‘You shouldn’t forget who his father is,’ Natalie objected cautiously. ‘His birth alone speaks volumes. Just like Satanail, he wields the art of persuading and influencing people. If this is the case, Miriam, this can explain your bestial attraction to him and your reluctance to lose him. You haven’t yet given your consent to Samuel’s proposal only because you’ve been constantly thinking about Michael.’

  ‘Natalie, I’ve always strived to keep my feelings at bay but now I can’t help it. I actually forced him into inviting me to his place: he still attracts me irresistibly like a magnet.’

  We sat in silence for some time, each of us thinking our own thoughts.

  ‘Miriam,’ said Natalie breaking the silence, ‘Soon you’ll get into the very heart of the satanic society. And you have to be aware that they might want to use you in a certain ceremony… The last of suchlike rituals was carried out centuries ago, and its outcome was tragic,’ she said quietly. ‘During this ceremony, Satanail himself sets about carrying out the act that takes place symbolically between Satanail and the transformed Eve who acquires the appearance of a dark fairy…’

  ‘This is the act that confirms Satanail’s superiority over man; it symbolizes the power of his essence over human beings,’ I acknowledged.

  ‘Nobody knows when Satanail will be ready to carry it out but something tells me that it won’t be long before it takes place,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Eve not only acquires the appearance of a dark fairy, she actually becomes a devil woman. She can be more dangerous than the devil himself.’

  ‘What do you mean to say?’ I asked, puzzled.

  ‘I mean to say that Eve’s soul – just like yours and just like the soul of any newly-reincarnated first-ever woman – is split in two. One of its halves belongs to the Creator while the other one belongs to the Prince of Darkness. And now, during your latest coming to Earth, you are facing the task of freeing your soul of Satanail’s influence. Forever.’

  ‘Do you suspect that I might have gaps in my memory and conscience?’ I asked in astonishment.

  ‘Yes, Miriam. Among other things, this also accounts for your visits to the Kingdom of Darkness. One of your halves descends to that world irrespective of the other half.’

  ‘But it might be a kind of a trap for a human soul, Nat!’ I exclaimed.

  ‘You have within yourself – just like other people do – a good angel and an evil demon simultaneously.’

  ‘So, when one of my entities speaks, the other one does her best to prevent me from hearing her voice, right?’

  ‘Yes, Miriam, and you have to fight it because you barely sense the danger on your subconscious level.’

  ‘The Book of Shadows says that everything repeats itself. Every situation is reset in a man’s life over and over again until it’s correctly solved,’ I recollected.

  ‘Returning to the past is a forced measure that gives an opportunity to sort out the present and change the future,’ said Natalie. ‘Miriam, this time everything’s going to repeat itself, too, but the story will have another ending nobody knows about…’

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ I said with a sigh. ‘I’m not the master of my own life anyway.’

  ‘Your life depends on the right solutions,’ Natalie said. ‘Now I must be off.’

  I walked over to her and extended my hands – the touch made the Threads of Light shine still brighter; a wave of warmth ran through my body.

  ‘Thank you, Natalie. I’m so happy you have an opportunity to be by my side,’ I said tenderly, and saw off the ethereal body as it quickly ascended to the skies.

  Perhaps, there’s another diary in the late Phil’s house or in some other place I still don’t know of… And more books…

  Samuel was snoring sweetly; I could only envy his sound sleep. Michael and Samuel! I need both of them, I thought. Is Samuel suspicious of me leading a double life? Does he suspect that I have another man in my life apart from him? I’m sure he does.

  Samuel turned over, opened his eyes slightly and asked in a sleepy voice.

  ‘Are you awake, Miriam?’

  ‘Yes, I am,’ I replied. ‘I’m looking at you, thinking how beautiful you are. I cannot but marvel at your splendid body! You are a real Apollo!’

  ‘Miriam, are you really shimmering or is it only my imagination?’ he asked, astonished.

  ‘Sure, it’s your imagination, Samuel. We have several more hours to rest.’ I kissed him and lay down near him.

  ‘Miriam, honey, a big-shot collector has invited us to visit him. He often comes to Paris, and he’s always at every single private auction. He gives his professional advice on how to acquire pieces of art and jewelry. The rich are buying up investments like these because the fluctuations in the world economy make them doubt even the stability of their own banks! A few months ago this man did me a favor and I’m very grateful to him for it. He’s throwing a party tonight. I’d really like you to meet him. We can go there if you don’t mind,’ said Samuel. ‘His castle is somewhere outside the city.’

  I agreed. ‘Of course, I don’t mind. Quite on the contrary: it would be very interesting for me to talk to a man who loves art. I’ll be very glad to meet him.’

  The game commences?

  Chapter 39

  I was sorting out my dresses in the wardrobe: I couldn’t make up my mind which one of them to choose for the party that night. Samuel was sitting by my side, chatting. It was obvious, that his feeling of guilt had evaporated without a trace.

  ‘I love France, Miriam. I’m so glad to be here again,’ Sam spoke in elation. ‘Tonight we’re going to meet some really interesting people and spend a beautiful evening with them.’

  ‘I hope we’re not expected to come to the party in formal attire?’ I inquired, without much enthusiasm.

  ‘I don’t know, I didn’t even ask about it,’ Sam replied nonchalantly. ‘Let’s put on what we like. Who cares who wears what, after all? In fact, it’s not a formal reception; it’s just an ordinary party. Wear something comfortable, that’s all. You look beautiful in anything you put on, after all,’ he said and added unexpectedly. ‘I hope there won’t be any surprises.’

  ‘What kind of surprises are you talking about?’ I asked, laughingly.

  ‘I like to know ahead of time who’s on the guest list, but this time the host didn’t say who he has invited and I didn’t think it was appropriate to ask,’ he replied.

  ‘Did you want to find out whether there will be any unsavory characters?’ I asked.

  ‘Exactly.’

  ‘What feelings do you have for me, Samuel? I’d like to know the difference that exists between me and the other women you had before or may have now,’ I asked suddenly.

  ‘You are the only one who makes me feel good. I am comfortable with you,’ Samuel replied. ‘Besides, I like everything about you. When you are not by my side I feel like I’m the unhappiest man in the whole world. I’ve missed you so much! I wish we had a child together. I feel so guilty for messing things up so badly. But I love you with all my heart; your unbridled passion excites me. Your beauty is like magic and your mind is brilliant. You attract me like a magnet. You have everything a man can only dream of…’

  Wrought iron gates blocked our way. Samuel pressed the intercom button and uttered our names. The glass eye of a surveillance camera turned towards us and froze for a short moment. The gates swung open, and the wheels of our car rustled down the unpaved road snaking through the dense forest of century-old trees with enormous trunks.

  Soon we drove out onto a cobbled square which ended at the grandiose gothic castle. It materialized in
front of us in a bright light but it was difficult to tell where the sources of light were installed; it looked to me as if the stones were shining from within. There was some kind of a mysterious force felt in this place. We must have found ourselves in the very secret den I’d read and heard about.

  ‘Here we are,’ Samuel said, staring in astonishment at this wonder of ancient architecture.

  ‘You’re welcome,’ said the valet opening the car door. Samuel tossed him the keys and the man got into the car to drive it to a parking lot.

  ‘Come in! They are waiting for you!’ said the doorman, letting us into the castle.

  We crossed a magnificent lobby and found ourselves in a giant hall filled with guests. The doors closed quietly behind us. I looked around. Thick clustered columns supported a high ribbed vault; the walls were decorated with beautiful arrow-shaped arcs. French doors, extending upwards, were separated by stone partitions with torches hanging on them. There were many lit candles of various sizes all across the hall. Some distance away from the doors there was a huge table in the corner laid with refreshments and appetizers. Here and there, among the columns, leather sofas were set up; there were also leather chairs with small wooden tables set up between them which served as counters for drinks. There was the sound of a quiet unimposing music.

  The guests were numerous, but they were lost in the giant space of the hall, and this created an atmosphere of privacy. But I sensed right away that all those present turned their eyes towards us.

  After the long and arduous procedure of choosing the right garment in the closet, I’d opted for a black flowing dress and half-open high-heeled shoes. My hair remained uncombed, and my make-up was somewhat provocative – I felt I was looking terrifically attractive. There was a huge shining blood-red ruby on my finger: I considered it most appropriate for that party. Samuel wore a light-grey suit and a black shirt which accentuated his beautiful eyes. The two of us looked very impressive.

  ‘You are welcome! Glad to see you,’ said a tall elderly man, coming to us in haste with his arms open wide. ‘Samuel, will you introduce me to your belle?’ he asked, squinting slightly at me.

  ‘Hello, Robert! Thank you so much for inviting us! This is Miriam,’ he said, introducing me.

  Robert took my hand and lifted it to his lips. Having noticed the ring, he smiled and said.

  ‘Glad to meet you, Miriam. Follow me, I’m going to introduce you to my guests,’ he said, making for those present in the hall.

  ‘My dear Agella,’ he said, leaning toward a woman who was standing with her back to us. She turned round. ‘I would like you to meet Miriam,’ Robert said, casting a quick glance at me.

  The woman looked at me, our eyes met and my heart raced so violently that all those present seemed to hear it beating. Her eyes were glistening; she was slightly drunk on champagne. She seemed to be not more than fifty and she looked terrific. I recognized her: this was the same woman Satanail had been calling Tilda.

  ‘My name’s Agella,’ she said, giving me a slight kiss on the cheek. ‘Glad to meet you, Miriam.’

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, ‘Very glad to meet you.’

  ‘Hello, Samuel. Please, join us and help yourself.’

  ‘Well, what are you doing here, Agella?’ I asked violating all rules of decency with my inappropriate question.

  ‘I’m helping my husband and many of those present here,’ she replied, not in the least surprised.

  ‘And what does your help mean, precisely?’ I insisted.

  ‘I’m helping them to invest in the most rare jewels and pieces of art,’ Agella whispered in a conspiratorial tone of voice. ‘A lot of wealthy people came here today, and many of them are far beyond the media focus. Very few are those who know about them. These people are major investors. They are engaged in all those financial dealings: investments, capital gains and that kind of stuff. They are grey market moguls who control powerful organizations.’

  ‘You have a beautiful ring,’ I said, studying the jewel on her finger. ‘Very nice ruby! It must be very rare. I wonder whom it belonged to in the past,’ I inquired, smiling slightly. By all appearances, this was the same ruby ring the Prince of Darkness himself had given her some time ago.

  ‘It has always belonged to me,’ Agella-Tilda replied with a sly grin. ‘And it will always belong to me only. This ruby is priceless, and I will never part with it under any circumstances. This is my beloved ring.’

  ‘Did you happen to lose it once? If so, I can understand you very well: it’s excruciatingly hard to part with something that belongs to you by right,’ I said, and noticed that she looked somewhat confused.

  ‘You have a very nice ring, too,’ Agella said after a small pause without answering my question. ‘And it looks very much like mine. This piece is familiar to me, Miriam, some day I’ll tell you its story. This is a very precious ring, take good care of it.’

  ‘Please, tell me, Agella – have we ever met before?’ I asked, cutting her short.

  ‘No, we haven’t,’ she said with finality and quickly hurried away. ‘I must leave you to talk to other guests; it’s improper to leave them unattended for so long.’

  ‘Of course, darling,’ Robert said encouragingly. ‘We’ll join the others shortly.’

  ‘Great idea,’ Samuel said in a somewhat constrained voice.

  Robert led us across the hall, presenting us to his numerous guests in the process. Samuel had already been acquainted with some of them so he would stop from time to time to greet them and exchange a couple of pleasantries. Much to my surprise, I saw Arnaud Canilos. He also noticed me and nodded.

  ‘I’m glad to see you again, Miriam. The world is a small place, really. I hope you’re doing well,’ he said civilly.

  ‘How do you do, Mister Canilos? I’m doing fine, hope you don’t have any problems either,’ I replied courteously.

  ‘There haven’t been and there’ll never be any problems,’ he said with a broad smile. Then he bowed slightly and stepped aside.

  ‘What did he mean by that? Why did he ask how you were doing? It seems to me like you already know each other, don’t you?’ Samuel asked.

  ‘Yes, we do,’ I replied. ‘A very unsavory personality! I hoped I would never see him again. Samuel, take a look at all these people…’

  ‘So what?’ he asked, looking around.

  ‘These people are connected with the devil personally. We’ve been invited here for some definite purpose,’ I told him quietly.

  ‘Miriam, honey, I don’t like it when you suspect every Tom, Dick and Harry to be in league with the devil. What do you think this is, the Grand Inquisition? When are you going to realize that all this is absurd?’ he whispered in my ear. ‘The man you’ve just been talking to is a big-time economist and a former politician. The rest of the guests are respected people, too. There isn’t a single person here who is nagged by the same fear as you. For cryin’ out loud, to suspect all these people are in cahoots with the devil! You have to admit that you see only demons and devils everywhere you go!’

  ‘Please, Sam, stop lecturing me. You’d better explain to me what this Arnaud Canilos is doing here?’ I said taking a sip of champagne. ‘Don’t you think it strange that I’d seen him in the US where he’d come to visit the late demonologist’s son? And now he’s here, being among the people who, as you say, have nothing to do with deviltry.’

  ‘It really looks strange but it may well be a sheer coincidence,’ Sam said, waving my argument off, and then exclaimed imploringly. ‘If you look for the answers to all the questions, Miriam, you’ll have no time left to live! Please, let’s forget about devils and demons if just for tonight!’

  ‘I can’t promise, but I’ll try. Let’s go and take a seat by that table over there, in the corner. I’d like to hear what they are talking about. They are debating something so heatedly…’ I said, taking Sam by the arm and leading him into the corner of the hall where a handful of guests were engaged in a heated debate.

 
‘Nuclear war is just round the corner. Yes, yes, that’s what we’re in for!’ a morbidly obese, cigar-chewing gentleman said excitedly; he was almost shouting, scratching his bald head from time to time.

  ‘War is a lucrative investment of capital. Invest and make profit, invest and make profit – that’s where it ends to me. The rest is up to those who prepare the assault. There always have been wars - and always will be. We are not supposed to be in trenches in the line of fire, are we?’ said carelessly a young man of about thirty who was sitting on the sofa near the big fat bald man.

  He looked at me appraisingly. His stare was extremely unpleasant while his smile looked rather like a predator’s grin; I shivered involuntarily. Clearly, this man was predisposed to violence! He seemed to be totally lacking the feeling of compassion. I felt there was nothing good about him. He gave me the creeps. What a nasty person he is! I thought. And then I suddenly realized that he must have been one of those who cleared the path for the Satanic Society, taking out the people who might stand in its way. And Sam tried to convince me of the contrary! I found myself in the heart of this organization – at last. I had to find out which roles the members of the sect played. I knew what I was in for and was ready for it. But interestingly, which role had Samuel been given? Was he involved in these games or not? Was he being manipulated the way Michael and I were?

  Agella, Satanail’s wife, made a smart step: by having sold the ring to Samuel she got into direct contact with me. Then they’d been watching him closely day and night waiting for the opportunity to invite us to their den. My ring with a ruby must have initially belonged to her. But then, what is all this show for? Or, maybe I’m mistaken?

  ‘If a nuclear strike is delivered to one country only, all the rest will suffer, too!’ I said, joining the discussion.

  ‘I agree. No one’s going to emerge unscathed from this calamity,’ said the unsavory guy.