The Serpent and the Light

by Bo Luellen

  Flush with the insult, he retorted, “The Master was a false leader. Those fools were serving an Angel. We were the only ones that saw through it. That is why the Great Cthulhu is pleased. With Miniel out of the way, we can collect Hyde at a later time.”

  Phasing through a tree, the ghost asked, “Now you know the will of Cthulhu? How wise you’ve become.”

  Richard responded coldly, “If he was done with us, you would have blinked out of existence and would be writhing in pain on some dark dimension. You are my canary in the coal mine, Samuel. Now, make yourself useful and fly up to scout ahead. The last thing we want is to run into a random search team.”

  The ghost shot him a scowl, then floated upward as Richard thought, I don’t even have a gun. All the good it would do me. One shot would bring too much attention. My best bet is to remain stealthy and make it to the rally point. With any luck, the Pearce Brothers will already be there with Daniel. Then we can hike out and meet Amy at her car.

  Richard smiled broadly and demanded, “When we get back, I want you to teach me the final spellwork. I want to be the one that completes the ritual.”

  The ghost laughed as he flew overhead and replied, “You’re a novice at best! You could ruin the spell and free that Angel. Even with me holding your hand back there, you nearly cocked up the binding spell. You’re a child wanting to play with magic. No! This is much too complicated.”

  “Samuel, I’m in charge, and I said I will be the one to put the Angel into the golem.”

  Samuel moved down and reminded him, “That dagger was made for Hyde. You do understand that, right? The fact that it worked at all on Miniel was luck, at best, and divine intervention of a greater power, at the worst. The Athame’s enchantment took the High Mage weeks to complete, and the magical energies were attuned to the Demon. Yes, you captured the soul of Miniel. Good boy. Yet you seem to lack a wider understanding, or the sense of urgency, this situation demands.”

  Richard flipped the dagger in the air, caught it, and quipped, “I understand that I outmaneuvered one Angel, and shall use her to capture a second one.”

  The ghost looked shocked by his plan, and calmly replied, “My boy, please try to listen. The knife you are holding in your hands is out of harmony with the Celestial you decided to put there. Binding magic isn’t a one size fits all. It could break out in a year, a month, or a few seconds. Angels are accustomed to servitude but not confinement. She could emerge crazed and unhinged. Humans have placed them up on a pedestal as beings of pure peace when the opposite is true. They are supreme warriors, tough to the point of almost being unkillable by mortals, and their minds work in alien ways. If she is released before we are ready, there would be no negotiating with her for our lives.”

  Richard sheathed the dagger and smirked, “Then I will make them both my personal guards when I’m done. You are just upset because I didn't follow your plan, and it worked out better for us.”

  The ghost grabbed his own insubstantial forehead with both hands and shouted, “You might be the most dangerous fool I’ve ever met! The plan was to capture Hyde! Instead, you've captured an Angel in the army of the Hebrew God. This isn’t some rogue Fallen Angel that has been removed from the divine sight. That was a Celestial soldier! She will be missed by those of her ranks! If He decides to, one or all of His legions of Angels could be sent to smite us, take the Athame, and our souls would still go to the depths of the Cthulhu dimension. You haven’t even considered the flip side to all of this.”

  Richard’s smile melted into confusion as he asked, “What flip side?”

  Samuel magically transformed his clothes into a smart-looking grey suit, replying, “The Fallen Angels are spiteful demons that would love to take revenge on their God. If they know we have an Angel, they will come for her. We are in danger from both ends. I don't see how you could ignore the gravity of the situation. ”

  Richard patted the dagger and challenged, “Let them come. We will soon have Miniel in the golem under my control. With it, I will have command of an unstoppable being that will take me one step closer to awakening the Old One. His gratitude will make me a ruler in Cthulhu’s new world!"

  The spirit opened his hands, pleading, “Richard, please, how can I make you see reason? The animation of a golem is a dangerous proposition to begin with. These things are not mindless. They have a will of their own. Even if the spells needed are executed with precision, the other half is in the hands of the alchemist. Our Ms. Feinstein was expecting a Demon, not a fully vested Angel of the Hebrew God, and Shoshannah does not cotton well to surprises.”

  Richard gave a deep sigh and remarked, “You’re worrying too much. She is well paid and reliable. I’m sure she will…”

  The ghost cut him off. “It isn’t a matter whether she can. The woman is a brilliant alchemist, a true successor to her creator. If she feels we have lied to her or brought the swords of Heaven to her doorstep, Victor’s daughter will cut us down out of spite.”

  He scoffed in a reply, "Then we convince her the risk is worth the substantial reward we will offer. Really, Samuel. You sound like a frightened schoolmarm."

  Samuel's face dropped and gave a bewildered, "The safest way to perform this ceremony is for me to possess you and complete the rite myself. It took me more years than I care to divulge to learn the ancient secrets and incantations necessary for such high-level craftwork. If you let your ego push you into this, one mistake could mean we turn the golem into a walking engine of destruction. We won’t have to worry about Lucifer, God's Angels, the police, or even our opposition in the Brotherhood. We will have a whirlwind of death that will consume you and me both. The creature will be an abomination. A corrupted Nephilim that is both undead and magical. It will walk in both the Mundane and behind the Veil. It would have access to powers beyond reckoning. It could kill you and banish me with the same ease you used to tie a shoe. You wouldn't have time to see this canary fall dead before you found yourself on the other side facing the wrath of Cthulhu!”

  Richard stopped in his tracks and ordered, “Now you understand this! If I had given Miniel that dagger, she would own Hyde’s soul, and we would have failed Cthulhu. Instead, I acted in our best interests. I captured the Angel, and I will use all its power to get Hyde for the Great Dreamer. There was no other choice.”

  Samuel’s face sank further as he admitted, “You truly astound me. The Angel was in league with Cthulhu. Do you think the Ancient One would let some servant of another god work spells in his sanctified land or lead his devoted followers? Giving Hyde to the Angel was fulfilling our contract to Cthulhu! Now our task is harder. The Demon’s Vessel is on its way back to Tulsa and surrounded by every Federal and local law enforcement officer available. The destruction of our Sect was perfectly played. All your opponents lay dead back there, and you could have walked out the new Master. I would be on my way to my next duty for Cthulhu.”

  Richard’s eyes wondered at the statement, but dismissed it. “Getting rid of them was essential, and I’m free to rebuild the Sect as I see fit. If the police believe all was lost, so much the better. Time is on our side.”

  The apparition crossed his legs and conjured an image of Henry Jekyll in his hands, as he agreed, “Is it now? Let's do remember that Jekyll saw your face when you captured him back at his apartment. He could identify you. If you had taken his life and completed the contract by handing the Athame to Miniel, none of that would be a factor.”

  A spark of understanding came into Richard’s eyes as he replied, “He was in the midst of the change. The Demon could have been the one in charge at the time. Besides, who would believe him anyway? You can’t take away from my victory today. I now run the Tulsa Sect.”

  The ghost rolled its powder blue, glowing eyes and replied, “Oh yes. The mighty Richard Enfield. The new Master of four whole members.”

  Ignoring his rudeness, he conceded, “I will allow you to possess me during the ritual, but I will be the one to do the final thrust of the blade. On t
hat, there will be no negotiation.”

  Samuel nodded in agreement, saying, “Bravo, my boy. Now, we must get clear of this place and prepare for the ending of the Aeon. The Herald will be calling us soon.”

  The new Master manufactured a sarcastic smile and mocked, “I’m just so relieved that you see it my way. You fear this Angel, and that means our enemies will too. We still have people in the police and prison system on the payroll…”

  Richard went still at the sound of a branch breaking behind him. As he turned, Samuel took to the air and disappeared into a thick oak. The smell of cedar was in the air as he scanned the area through the green hue of the night vision goggles.

  He adjusted the focus on the lenses and thought, Damnit Samuel! Your whining might have caused us to get caught.

  The forest behind him was quiet, which made his skin tingle with fright, and his pulse started to race. He jumped at the sudden popping of gunfire that rang out from the besieged compound. Steam came from his mouth into the night air, and suddenly he felt the cold.

  A female voice sounded out from the dark woods, “So that’s why are you trying to kill Henry Jekyll? He had something inside him you wanted.”

  Richard’s head jerked around towards the source of the noise, and Samuel floated out in front of him. He cursed to himself for the decision not to take the thermal goggles, which would have shown him any heat patterns, but were too bulky to have been hidden under his robes. The lady’s voice went dead silent, and the ghost looked around anxiously.

  He put a hand on a tree and replied, “If I had tried to kill him, he would be dead. I allowed him to live. I can be generous to those that I find useful.”

  The woman’s voice came again, “You allowed him to live for now. That is until you break into the jail and plunge that dagger into his chest. That is your plan, right?”

  Richard cursed under his breath, enraged at how much this person had heard. Samuel flew towards the noise and stopped twenty feet out into the brush. The apparition streaked wildly about, looking for the source of the voice. Richard could hear his old mentor screaming in frustration, as the deep blue in the apparition’s eyes blazed with rage. Richard reached back and pulled a black ski-mask over his face.

  He pulled the Athame dagger from his waistband and replied, “You think you know more than you do. Let me educate you on what is about to happen. I’m going to find you and slit your throat unless you give me a reason not to.”

  From behind a large pine walked a dark-haired woman in her early forties. Butterflies in his stomach began to do flips as he recognized her from the sacrificial platform. She was the one who cut the Vessel from the crucifixion cross and tried to escape with him. She didn’t seem dressed for the woods and had on hiking sandals. Her face was scratched up and had some dirt on her forehead. Through the green vision of the goggles, he could see she was unarmed, which made him relax a little.

  Richard lowered his dagger and admired, “Well, hello. You are a beauty and a very tenacious one at that. You weren’t with the police when they raided, were you? No, you were there already. That means you figured out where our little hiding place was. Now how did you do that?”

  He watched Samuel look at him and then scan in the direction Richard was talking about. The ghost flew around, searching behind trees and dense leaves. Howard seemed oblivious to her presence and floated right beside the interloper.

  He thought to Samuel, What the devil are you doing? She is right under you. Possess her and find out how much she knows!

  Samuel whirled around angrily. “I can’t see her! Something or someone has abjured her from my sight.”

  The feminine voice moved sideways out of the dark and into the green hue of Richard’s goggles, then returned, “You are very observant, even in a crisis. You can put the Athame Dagger up now. I know you won’t use it. It’s much too precious a thing for you to risk damaging it on me. You still have to use it to complete the ritual.”

  Fury ran up and down his spine as he replied, “I’m wondering why you choose to come out of hiding? Chasing down an armed man all by yourself. What made you so confident, or was your purpose in this something else? Maybe the big man who stopped me from stabbing Jekyll is with you? I would very much like to settle my debt with him. What did I hear you call him as you jumped on the platform? David, was it?”

  He heard some branches rustle as she retorted, “My purpose? Since I clearly know yours, I’ll give you that luxury back. I intend on bringing you to justice, find out why you need Henry Jekyll dead, and then put you behind bars. If you had a gun, you would have used it on the man who picked you up by the throat. I think you’re not the type to allow such rough handling. You’re unarmed and caught. You are going back to the police with me. Whether you are walking or I’m dragging you, you are going.”

  Samuel flew straight into the face of Richard and shouted, “We need to leave, now! There is something else here. Something that has divine power. Run you, dolt! Now!”

  Richard snapped back in thought, No! This is just one woman and she knows too much. If you can’t possess her, then she has to die. He thought about the dagger, The bitch is right. I can’t risk ruining the Athame phylactery. She had some dirt smudging on her forehead that almost looked as if it was an arcane mark of some kind, No doubt from bumping into trees as she pursued him.

  The paltry amount of moonlight that was slipping into the forest was not enough to put anyone on an equal footing to the advantage his night-vision goggles gave him. He put the dagger back into the sheath and held his hands out in front of him. With a smile, he scooted closer to her and juggled in his head which method he would use to take her life. It had been a long time since he had ended someone with his bare hands. The thought excited him, and he grew anxious for the kill.

  He advanced on her saying, “The blonde man you were cradling. Was that your lover? A close friend, perhaps? I couldn’t help but notice you went to him first above all the rest. When you are dead, I will, of course, send him a few mementos for him to remember your tender affections. I think you are the one with the hubris. You should have brought one of your friends. You’ll die horribly for that mistake.”

  The woman took a wide stance, readied a thick branch in her hands, and revealed, “But I did.”

  From around a maple tree walked the fool who stood on top of one of the vehicles and made a scene during the ceremony. He had several burn marks on his bare upper body and had on a dirty pair of jeans. In the green vision of the night goggles, Richard saw the man had a twisted staff in his left hand, and his right hand was palm up. The filthy stranger seemed to be in a trance light state and muttering a slow chant.

  Samuel spun around and looked at the newcomer, blurting out, “What? This is impossible! How can this be?!”

  The dirty man stopped muttering, opened his eyes, and announced a second time, “My name is Thomas Booth. I’m the Arch Druid of Muskogee, and these woods are under my protection. Leave now, while I allow it!”

  Richard took a step back, It’s just that lunatic from the compound. Possess him, and together we can kill this woman!

  The woman pulled out a red stick and struck the end against the club she held. Enfield screamed out in pain and was blinded by the pulsing light of a burning flare. The goggles had intensified the strobe effect, and now all he saw was the white light. Richard stripped off the visor in time to feel the wood she carried lay into his ribs. He backpedaled and tried to cover up as the woman wailed on any open spot she seemed to find.

  Samuel's eyes turned to blue flame, and he flew straight into his former student. The union was more aggressive than before, and again, he lost control of all his limbs. The pain of the blows from the stick still stung, but now he couldn’t react. He felt a sharp pain in the palm of his right hand, as the woman’s next strike was caught by Samuel. Even though he could only see white light, he knew of Samuel’s intent. The possessing ghost placed a crisp punch to her sternum, which sent her tumbling to the freezing gras
s.

  While she lay sprawled out on the ground in pain, the specter closed Richard’s eyes and recited an incantation. He felt a faint electrical surge course through his body, as his hands were waved in the air in an intricate pattern. He was being compelled to cast a spell, but of what kind, he had no clue. Samuel flew out of him, leaving him shaken and wobbly from the sudden disconnection. His face was tingling, and he found his eyesight was not only back but had changed. Everything was vibrating and seemed to have different degrees of translucence.

  Samuel shouted at him, " I've given you the ability to see and hear into the Veil for a short time. Now, find whatever protection she has been given by this upstart magician and remove it! Don’t kill her! I need her thoughts."

  Catching his balance, he looked out into the world with his arcane sight. Life popped out all around him, as the lightning bugs flew and burned with trails like that of a shooting star. The tree’s thick bark seemed to be breathing with energy and seemed to have a misshapen face designed in the bark. Enfield looked up and gazed in wonder at the way the stars appeared to be full and abundant in the sky. Looking back at the woman, he saw a shimmering bubble that surrounded her. The sphere was a layer of translucent rainbow light that changed colors rapidly.