by Joe Vadalma
"I don't think so. If you're really supposed to meet the real estate agent, we'll wait for him or her. I give the person a half hour. If no one shows up, you'll have to leave."
Nicholas was slightly intimidated by this huge person. He had expected that the house would be empty except for the woman Morgaine said he was supposed to meet. He could have used his powers on the fellow, but did not like to use them unless it was absolutely essential. Besides he did not like the whole idea of coming to this place to meet some bimbo and marry her. He felt he should be giving orders to the likes of Morgaine, not the other way around. Hence, he meekly went out into the hallway without further protest.
As he exited the library, a woman strolled down the stairs, yawning and scratching her unruly hair. She was dressed in blue jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers, all of which looked threadbare and not all that clean. He could see that she wore no bra. Her nipples showed darkly through the thin cloth. She eyed Nicholas up and down as though she were appraising him.
"Who is this guy, Vic?” she asked the giant.
"I don't know. He was wandering around down here. Says his name is Nicholas Bongiglio and that he's interested in buying the mansion."
"Really?” She approached Nicholas and pinched the label of his suit jacket. “Expensive stuff. You know a place like this will cost you millions, even though it's a little run down right now. Think you can afford it?"
Although Nicholas felt that the woman was nothing but a gold-digging hippie tramp, for some reason, he was attracted to her. Perhaps it was the easy way she swung her hips as she walked down the steps, head held high—like a model. She had an attractive enough face. With a little makeup applied in the right places she might be quite lovely. Her figure was the type he liked, full busted, thin waisted and long legged.
"Hello,” he said. “Are you the caretaker's wife?"
"Caretaker? Oh you mean Vic. No. We're not married, engaged or even girl and boy friend. He's an old friend who's letting me sleep in one of the rooms here until I get on my feet."
"I see .. uh. You have me at a disadvantage. Vic told you my name, but I don't know yours."
"Mandy. So you're interesting buying the old place. Is Vic showing you around?"
"No. Actually he's throwing me out."
She frowned at Legion. “Hey Vic. That's not a good idea. Maybe Mrs. Ellul does want to sell this place, and here we are throwing out prospective buyers. Say Nick, I'll show you the place. Come with me. We'll do the bedrooms first."
Legion pulled her to the side and whispered into her ear. “Do you think that's a good idea? There's something fishy about the guy. Besides, I don't believe Melody will sell the place as long as the robot is here."
Mandy whispered back, “You and your vampire friends are fishy too. And how do you know what the lady wants. Look, I'll take him on a grand tour, and he'll be on his way. If you throw him out, he's likely to realize that it's us who don't belong here."
Legion considered. “Okay. But get rid of him as quickly as you can."
Mandy winked at him. “What's the matter, Vic, jealous?” This last she said loud enough that Nicholas could hear.
Actually Nicholas, with his supersensitive hearing, overheard the entire conversation. He realized that the two of them were nothing but tramps taking advantage of the fact that the mansion was abandoned. Well, he would play their game for the time being and make believe he thought that they were caretakers showing off the house to a prospective buyer. He was intrigued enough by Mandy to want to know what she was like. Perhaps, he would even seduce her. But marry her, never. Morgaine had to be out of her mind.
Mandy returned to him and said, “Follow me,” and started up the steps. Nicholas trailed two steps behind where he could watch the motion of her buttocks.
Mandy opened doors at random. Most of the rooms were either empty or contained miscellaneous stuff that the owners did not take away with them when they left. She did not show him the east wing. When she got to her room, she said, “This is where I bunk down.” The bed was unmade and various articles of women's clothing were scattered over it. “Haven't had a chance to make the bed yet. I was heading down to breakfast when you showed up."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Why don't we go down to the kitchen. You could tell me about the house. I could go for a cup of coffee."
"Sure.” Mandy stood by the bed. She did not make any move to leave the room. In fact she pushed some of her garments out of the way and sat down. She squinted at Nicholas and said, “I know you."
"You probably saw me on TV or the newspapers. I'm a senator from this state and am currently running for president of the United States."
"Naw. I never watch the news or look at anything except the classifieds and the sports section. I remember what it was. I saw you in a vision."
"A vision?"
"Yeah. I found this crystal, see. When I looked into it, I went into a trance and had a vision. Lucky for me, Vic came along and woke me up. Who knows how long I would've been out otherwise."
"So what was this vision?"
"That's what I started to tell you. I was in a great hall in some monstrously big palace or temple or something. You were sitting on a throne and told me that you wanted me to be your queen. Ain't that something. And here you are. Maybe it means something. Maybe I'm lucky for you and that you'll be elected president."
Nicholas looked into her mind and viewed her vision. It was as she described. He thought, Morgaine must've sent it to her. “I see. Maybe you're right."
Mandy stroked her chin. “Something doesn't add up. If you get elected president, you'd be living in the White House. Why would you want to buy this dump?"
Nicholas winked at her. “I see, you've caught me out. I made up that story about wanting to buy the mansion, just as you and Vic made up that story about being caretakers. You're simply transients who found a cozy rent-free place to flop."
"Okay. I see it's time for truth and dare. Why did you come here?"
"To find you. You had your vision about me. Well, I'm also into the occult and was told by a spirit that I would find the love of life in this place."
Mandy laughed. “The love of your life, huh. What kind of B.S. are you pulling now."
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth."
"Do you often consult spirits?"
Nicholas nodded. “I'm into the occult quite a bit."
"Well, you've come to the right place. I've seen at least two ghosts and a couple of gents who claim to be vampires since I moved in."
"And what about Vic? What is he to you, really?"
"Nothing. He was here before I came. He was good enough to let me stay.” She grinned broadly. “You know, he claims to be the Frankenstein monster."
"He looks like he could be.” Nicholas thought, I'll have to read his mind. Is it possible he really is? What an asset he would make if it's true.
Mandy maneuvered on the bed so that her legs were curled under her and her head rested on her elbow. She looked charming and sexy in that pose. Nicholas approached the bed and sat besides her. “You're very pretty."
She smiled. “Pretty enough to be your ‘one true love'?"
He shrugged. “Who knows. I am attracted to you."
"And I've kind of had the hots for you ever since I remembered that vision. It's nice to see that you're a real person.” She closed her eyes and raised her chin.
Nicholas took the hint and kissed her tenderly. She put her arms around him and sighed. He pressed her back on the bed and cupped one breast in his hand. She sighed again and pulled at the sleeve of his jacket. He shrugged it off, tore his tie away and took off his shirt. She removed her T-shirt revealing her perfect breasts. Nicholas kissed each on the nipple and pulled off her jeans. At the same time, Mandy unzipped his trousers and reached in to grasp his manhood. Moments later, they were entangled in a lovers embrace and breathing heavily. Nicholas prolonged the ecstasy as long as possible until Mandy had her orgasm, at which time he burst forth explosively.
Afterwards, they smoked cigarettes. The experience had overwhelmed Nicholas. He'd had sex with many women, but this was somehow different. For some reason he could not explain, although he had known Mandy only a few minutes he actually had feelings for her that were stronger than lust.
"Mandy,” he whispered. “How would like to go away with me? I could give you everything you ever longed for in your life."
"Oh Nicholas, you say the nicest things. Of course, I'll go away with you. I've needed a man in my life for a while now, especially one as handsome as you."
"I need to be more than ‘a man in your life.’ I want to be the man in your life. I want to marry you."
"Wow. Marriage. We just met. Yet ... somehow I feel I should accept. Okay, Nick. I'll do it. I'll go away with you. We'll get married and live in that palace I dreamed about."
Just then there came a loud knock at her door. Legion shouted, “Are you all right, Mandy?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Vic. Don't come in.” She hand motioned to Nicholas to get dressed, and she pulled on her own clothing.
Nicholas read the mind of the giant man at the door. Holy Satan, he thought. He really is the creation of Doctor Frankenstein, still alive after all these years.
He turned to Mandy. “What would you think if I asked Vic to go with us. I could use a big strong guy like him for a bodyguard."
"Sure, why not? I like the big oof. He's strong but a really nice guy. Lately he's been brooding around here since he had a fight with his girl friend and she left. The change from this haunted old house would be good for him."
"You can come in now, Vic,” Mandy called to Legion.
Legion eyed them and blushed. “Sorry to bust in on you like that, but I didn't know what this guy was up to. You two seemed to have hit it off real well.” He smirked.
"Nick is going to take me away from all this. We're going to be married."
Legion's eyes went wide. “I've heard of love at first sight, but this is unprecedented."
"Nick wants you to come along too. As his bodyguard. Besides, you could make sure that he's a man of his word. You could give me away."
Legion guffawed. “Like you'd need protection from the likes of him."
Nicholas said, “Will you take the job?"
"Sure. Why not. I've had a lot of different occupations in my life. Might as well try being someone's bodyguard."
"Can you handle firearms?"
"Sure."
CHAPTER 11. THE CHURCH OF OMEGA
A few days after the meeting at Melody Ellul's apartment, Raven flew to Tel Aviv. Upon arrival she left a message on Westcott's voice mail to call her at The Church of Omega. From Tel Aviv she took the bus to Jerusalem where she lounged around the bus station waiting for someone to take her to the Church. At precisely nine o'clock a priestess in gray robes walked up to Raven. It was the priestess who had greeted Raven years ago when Raven started training for the priestesshood.
"Hi, Raven. Do you remember me. I'm Cindy Looper."
"Of course, I remember you, Cindy."
They hugged, and Cindy kissed Raven on the cheek.
"Welcome back, Sister Raven. May Balaam brighten your day."
"Thank you. This is like coming home for me. I have so many memories of this place, both fond and terrible."
"All of us priestesses feel that way. We spend so much time here that it's our second home. And of course there are those who never leave. Did you know that the Church has another building project in Jerusalem?"
"No. I had not heard about that. What's it for?"
Cindy shrugged. “Nobody on our level of the organization seems to know. It's quite mysterious."
Raven thought, I'll have to look into that. It may have something to do with whatever Morgaine is planning.
Cindy's still owned the Camry that she had before. She whisked into heavy traffic like a New York cab driver. Fifteen minutes later she had the car parked in an underground parking garage next to the church.
"Do you want to go right in?” Cindy asked.
"I'd like to walk outside first. After the long flight and that smelly bus, I need fresh air. It's such a nice day."
They walked out of the parking garage and crossed the street. Like tourists they gazed at the impressive Church of Omega. The building combined features of the Taj Mahal, the Sistine Chapel, Notre Dame, Hagia Sophia, Jami’ Mosque, and various temples in Japan and India, only on a grander scale than any of them, with an enormous dome, minarets, wings, flying buttresses, towers and facade. Above the main entrance was an enormous stained glass rosy cross. Below it was the Greek letter omega, under which were eighteen five-pointed stars or pentagrams in three groups of six. Above the huge doors of the main entrance was the head of a man with a curly beard and hair with ram's horns carved out of granite. It represented the demon or god Balaam.
The interior was as impressive as the exterior. The vaulted frescoed ceiling depicted scenes from the holy books of several religions. Massive stained glass windows provided soft lighting during daylight hours and additional religious and symbolic art. A long aisle with cushioned pews on either side ran through the center of the main building. Niches contained statues of various deities and demons. Great columns, intricately carved arches and other architectural details were done on a grand scale.
At the far end, where one might expect an altar was a a massive throne on a dais. Above the throne, a mural depicted a nude woman bathed by the light of the sun; under her feet was the moon: on her head rested a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and crying out in the agony of giving birth. Next to her was a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and diadems on each of its seven heads. Its tail swept down through a night sky filled with stars. The dragon gazed hungrily at the place where the child was to be born. Somehow the figures were made to move, like a short film playing over and over.
Cindy said, “I've heard rumors that the throne is going to be replaced with an alter."
Another significant change, Raven thought. Something big is in the works.
Cindy said, “Before I take you to your room, would you like to consult the oracle? It's usually right on the money when it comes to predicting a person's future."
"Of course. I'd like to know whether my stay here will be productive.” And maybe I'll get a clue as to what's going on.
They went to a niche in an odd corner of the nave where a mechanical donkey stood. On it was written “Balaam's Ass."
Cindy withdrew a large coin out a pocket in her robe and gave it to Raven, who slid the coin in the slot. The donkey opened its mouth and brayed. Raven asked, “Will my mission be successful?"
The donkey brayed again and said, “Yes, but be wary of the one you admire. Your path is fraught with traps and dangers."
"I see.” Raven thought, The trouble with oracles is that their predictions are always mysterious and enigmatic. Who is the one I admire? Michael? And of course the path I follow is ‘fraught with traps and danger,’ but what traps and what dangers?
Cindy said, “Balaam's Ass always seems to always warn you of danger. I remember when you first arrived here to become a priestess, there was such a warning."
Raven laughed. “It's probably because I'm the type of person who has tendency to get herself into trouble."
* * * *
A few hours later, Raven was settled in her room in one of the towers. Her unpacking was done, her clothes hung up and put away in drawers. Just as she laid down on the bed to make up for jet lag, the phone rang. It was Westcott.
"Hello Beautiful. How was your trip?"
"Boring and tiring. I was about to take a nap. Did you see that scientist friend of yours?"
"I did. And his machine really works. I was able to view Michael. I even sent him a note. The trouble is that the machine is too small to transfer anything larger than a pea between the dimensions."
"That's exciting. Is it possible to build a larger one?"
"Possible, but impractical. It would cost million
s and have the resources of a major corporation behind it."
Raven scratched her head. “Y'know..."
"Y'know what? It sounds like you have an idea."
"Well. The Elluls are very rich. Not only that, Michael had many contacts in industry. Perhaps you could approach Melody to arrange a meeting with a CEO of a firm who might be interested in building the machine. You could pitch it as a breakthrough that could make the investor millions."
Westcott kissed the phone with a loud smacking sound. “I love you, Raven. You're a genius. All I have to do is convince Melody."
"That may not be that easy, Lover. She's on some kind of religious kick right now. She acts like she really doesn't want Michael back."
"That may be, but I don't think she really wants to leave him in Morgaine's clutches."
They spoke for a few minutes longer about trivialities. After Raven hung up, she laid back down and soon fell asleep. She began to dream. In her dream she was wandering around a dark medieval castle. Something was familiar about it. After a while she realized that it was where Michael Ellul was being held prisoner. She wondered how she came to be in the dimension where he existed. She shivered with cold terror. What if Morgaine or one of her demons caught her? Torture was not out of the question.
She listened at the doors along the gloomy corridor. She heard nothing until she came to the end of the corridor. Soft moaning came from the last room. She slowly opened it a crack and peered in. Moonlight coming through a window showed a man chained to the opposite wall. Although she could not see his face, she was sure that it was Michael. She slipped into the room and looked around. It was a woman's bedroom. Morgaine's room, she thought.
The bed was made and empty. It was obvious that the witch was elsewhere. Raven approached the chained man. “Michael,” she whispered. “Are you all right?"
Michael looked up. “Who's there? Is that you, Morgaine?"
"It's Raven."
"Oh, thank Hecate, you found me. I think Morgaine is trying to give me a potion to make me fall in love with her. So far, I've resisted eating or drinking anything. But I'm getting weaker. I don't know if I can hold out much longer."