Morgaine and Asmodeus Page 5

  CHAPTER 5

  MICHAEL'S SECRET

  After breakfast a few days later, Michael left on a business trip. Once his limousine left, Melody entered the library where Morgaine was laying out Tarot cards.

  "Hi Morgaine. I'm surprised that you're not with the Tantra group this time of the morning. Aren't they meeting about now?"

  Morgaine grinned at Melody. “I'm not that much into Tantra without a man. Michael tells me you'd like to learn about The Craft."

  "Yes, I would. But not right now if you don't mind. Michael gave me a list of books. I think I'll find a couple and read for a while."

  "Sure. Let me know though when you want to talk about The Craft. I don't mind at all explaining. In fact, I'm quite enthusiastic about it. Maybe, I can convert you. I'm really a frustrated Wiccan evangelist.” Morgaine picked up the Tarot cards and shuffled them idly. “Say Melody, would you like me to tell your fortune? As a new bride, you probably want to know what the future holds for you and Michael."

  "Okay.” Melody took a seat opposite her.

  "Before we begin, I need to know certain things about you. First, what is your birth date?"

  Melody told her the date of her birth from which Morgaine did some calculations. “Your personality card is the sixth card of the major arcana, the hierophant. It means that you have it within you to be a spiritual teacher or a healer. Your dark side is that you are secretive and elusive. The hierophant is also your character card. Your growth card is strength. Touch the deck and ask a question."

  She laid the deck before Melody who placed her hand on it. “What does the future hold in store for Michael and myself, good fortune or ill?"

  Morgaine smiled. “Good question. One the Tarot should give a definitive reply to.” As she shuffled the cards, she remarked, “I use the layout know as the Celtic Cross. I like it because requires ten cards. Do you know anything about numerology?"

  "No. I'm afraid not."

  "Well in a numerology system passed down from the ancient Egyptians, the numbers one through ten, each have a specific meaning.” Morgaine recited a lesson she had learned in numerology class at the University of Wizardry. “One stands for the Absolute, God if you believe in God. Two means Polarity, two opposites. For example, good and evil, man and woman, sex and abstinence. Three is associated with pyramids, relationships, triangles, such as man and two women who desire him. Four is matter, the four elements of alchemy, earth, water, air, fire or in modern terms the different forms of matter, solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Also a square is four sided. Five is potentiality and is lucky, the pentagram wards off evil, the pentagon is a place for containing secrets. Six is time and space, a cube contains six sides, the number of the beast is three sixes.” Morgaine went into a kind of trance as she recited all this. Her eyelids became half closed, and her eyes rolled back into her head. She shuffled the cards over and over. “Seven is growth, also considered lucky. Eight stands for sex, death or renewal. Nine, for pattern like the patterns formed by the Tarot, the weaving of the fates and so forth. Ten, of course, is the whole, all that there is, the infinite, also the zero, the void.” She spread the cards out in an arc, expertly and neatly, as an illusionist would. “Pick ten cards one at a time, and hand them to me in the order that you retrieved them."

  Melody started to do as she asked, but stopped when she saw the pattern on the back of the cards. “What the hell is that?"

  Morgaine chuckled. “It's the syncretistic deity Baphomet. In your religion you would call it a demon. This is a relatively new deck. The art work is by H. R. Giger. He's the artist who designed the alien and the alien spaceship in the movie Alien."

  Melody picked up a card and examined it carefully. The rendering was beautifully done, but the subject matter was gross, frightening and pornographic. The demon was enthroned on five skulls, the central one of which is wearing a bishop's miter whose tip is a machine gun. Snakes were coiled around this gun. The demon had breasts consisting of two demon heads each of which holds a hand grenade in its hand. An inverted pentagram was on the demon's forehead.

  Melody handed the card to Morgaine. “I thought you were a good witch. Such a Tarot deck seems to be for Satanists."

  Morgaine smiled enigmatically. “I'm like the girl with the curl in the middle of her forehead. When I'm good, I'm very good. When I'm bad, I'm horrible. Actually, I bought the deck because I like Giger's work."

  After Melody picked nine more cards from the deck, Morgaine laid them out in a Celtic cross. She studied them for a long time, shaking her head from time to time and staring at the Tarot layout in horror. When Michael brought Melody here, Morgaine had been jealous, but she had thought that Melody was the one, the one who would save Michael from the demon, the one who loved him—the sacrifice. Melody had fit all the parameters of Morgaine's vision, including her name, Melody, which accounted for the melody component. This made it certain that she was the one. And Michael certainly acted as though he was “in love” with her. And Melody doted on Michael. But now this, the Tarot said that the one who truly loves him was his greatest danger. Morgaine had to know more. And act. While there was still time.

  She was so upset she must have seemed like a mad woman to Melody. When Morgaine looked up at her, all she could see was Michael being dragged into Hell by that awful demon from her vision. “You! I knew you were bad news the day I learned of you. This is dreadful,” Morgaine screamed, knocking over the chair and dropping the cards in her hand to the floor. “I've got to stop you,” she yelled as she ran from Michael's study to her suite of rooms. She meant the demon, whose image in her mind at times seemed to have something of Melody in it.

  Once back in her room, Morgaine took several deep calming puffs from a cigarette, snuffed it out and sitting cross-legged on the floor said a mantra for several minutes. It helped. Afterwards she felt more in control of her emotions, relaxed and calm. She went to her computer desk and removed diskettes from a behind a false panel of a locked drawer. These were Michael's Asmodeus files which she had secretly copied from his hard disk. She printed them out and spent the rest of the afternoon and part of the evening studying the printouts.

  By the time she finished, night had fallen and a November wind whistled around the old house rattling the shutters and windows. Morgaine shivered, not from a draft, but from her thoughts and plans. She thought, Michael was right. There is powerful magic in these notes. Well, I'll use only what I must and destroy the rest. She closed the drapes and lit a fire in the fireplace, feeding the flames the printouts little by little until they were destroyed, stirring the ashes from time to time She returned the diskettes to their hiding place and glanced at the clock. Only ten. Too early to put her plan into action. Besides, she was starved, having skipped both lunch and dinner.

  She went downstairs to the kitchen to get a bite. On the way she stopped by the library, half hoping that Melody would be there so that she could apologize for her earlier behavior. The Tarot cards had been picked up off the floor, but lay in a jumbled heap on the table. She stacked them neatly and looked around for the carved wooden cache where she usually kept them. It was not where she had left it. Someone had moved it away from its usual spot on the mantle. On impulse, she tried the lid without inserting the key. It opened easily. She peered inside. The riddle she had left in the box was gone.

  The only person who could've gotten into that box besides me was Melody with the key I gave her on her wedding day. Well girl, you behaved as I expected. That's good. Your curiosity helps me bring my plans to fruition.

  She placed the Tarot cards into the five-sided box, locked it and placed it back into the exact position that she usually kept it. As she started to leave the room, Melody entered. They almost collided at the door. For a moment they stared at each guiltily, Morgaine because of her plan, Melody because of what she had found in the box. Morgaine changed her expression to one of contriteness. “Melody, I'm glad I ran into you. I want to apologize for my rude behavior earlier. I don't know what
came over me."

  Melody looked at her quizzically and accepted the apology, but added a little dig. “Don't worry about it, Morgaine. I get the same way with PMS. You know, moody and acting strange, biting people's heads off for no reason."

  Morgaine ignored the sarcasm. “So, are we going to get together tomorrow so I can explain the real nature of witchcraft and initiate you into its benefits?"

  "Uh, yeah, I guess so. Meet you here after lunch?"

  "It's a date. Please excuse me now, I'm on my way to the kitchen to get a sandwich; I haven't had dinner. Join me?"

  "No thanks. Before you go, Morgaine, may I ask you something?"

  "Sure. What?"

  "This afternoon, you started a Tarot reading for me. Whatever you saw upset you. What did the cards tell you?"

  "Oh that. Like you said, PMS. It was nothing really. You and Michael are going to have a long, happy, prosperous life together. I got jealous. You know damn well that I envy you. If you ever drop out of the picture, I'd go after Michael again. But really, its over between us. Completely. I know he loves you madly, and I really don't want to interfere. Please Melody, I'd want to be your friend. Just punch me or something if I start flirting with Michael. It's a bad habit. I have these uncontrollable impulses to do stupid things and don't think of the consequences.” Morgaine held out her hand.

  Although Melody eyes showed suspicion, she shook it. “I ... I think I understand. I suppose if I were in your shoes I would be pining after him too. You should try to find someone else."

  "I have. Dozens. Michael's not an easy man to forget. Well, my stomach is growling, ‘Feed me. Feed me.’ I gotta go."

  "Okay, see you tomorrow. Here. Oneish?"

  "Great."

  On the way to the kitchen, Morgaine thought, She bought it. Not the whole cloth. But she believed what I said about the Tarot. That's what's important.

  * * * *

  After Morgaine ate a ham sandwich and returned to her room, she waited until after midnight when everybody except the insomniac, Jack Westcott, would be asleep. Mentally she called to Mephistopheles. The cat appeared, as he always did, like magic from wherever he kept himself and rubbed up against her leg. “Eat first, you glutton, before you'll work. Okay."

  She opened a can of cat food and refilled his water bowl. As she watched him lap up the food, she said, “If you do your job well tonight, I'll give you a special treat."

  When Mephistopheles finished eating, Morgaine found chalk and drew a pentagram on a small round table. At each point, she set a black candle which she lit. She picked up Mephistopheles and placed him at the center of the five-pointed star within the pentagon formed by the lines. The cat sat quietly staring straight ahead as though he was quite comfortable sitting within five lit candles. Morgaine pulled up a chair for herself, gazed into Mephistopheles’ eyes and chanted the names of power that she had gleaned from Asmodeus’ book, annunciating each one slowly and carefully to ensure that she pronounced it absolutely correctly.

  As the candles burned down, the light in the room became dimmer and dimmer. The wind outside howled like a wounded werewolf. The house shook and groaned. A ghostly faint blue light appeared above Mephistopheles’ head and slowly descended until it settled over the cat. Without moving, Mephistopheles yowled for several seconds as if experiencing excruciating pain and fell silent again.

  Morgaine came out of her semi-trance. “You know what to do?"

  Mephistopheles moved his head up and down, nodding his assent.

  Morgaine blew out the candles, picked up her familiar and let him out her door. She watched as he headed for Lance Flebert's room. Lance always kept his door ajar at night. When anyone asked him about this, he joked that he needed to make a quick exit in case one of his ex-wives showed up. Most people who knew him also knew that he was claustrophobic but would not admit it. Mephistopheles squeezed through the opening and disappeared.

  Morgaine closed her door and changed into a filmy diaphanous nightgown. Moments later, there was a knock on her door. When she opened it, Mephistopheles rushed in. In the hallway outside her room stood Flebert, still in pajamas, eyes open wide staring blankly at nothing as though sleep walking.

  "Come in."

  Flebert entered the room without a word and stood mutely as though waiting for someone to tell him what to do. Morgaine whispered in his ear and handed him a letter opener in the shape of an antique dagger. He took the object, slipped it in his waistband and returned to the corridor. His movements were slow, awkward, stiff, zombie-like—yet determined.

  Morgaine closed her door and petted Mephistopheles. You've done a good night's work darling. Now for that treat I promised.” She gave him a chunk of raw liver.

  CHAPTER 5

  SECRET ROOMS

  The key Morgaine had given Melody as a wedding gift fit the box where she kept her Tarot cards. Within the box, she had place the following riddle:

  "To enter the world of the alchemist,

  You must first find where goes the metaphyst.

  To turn lead to gold use the number of elements,

  As a guide to the right procedure.

  Start at the stars,

  Down the number of points.

  Remove the Lady of Heaven, and

  You will discover the philosopher's stone."

  It was a clue to the location of a secret panel located in the library which led to a stairway. Beneath the mansion at the bottom of the stairs was an office, a laboratory and a cave. Morgaine's plan was to have Melody find her way down there and discover Michael's secrets that he kept in that cellar. It was sheer bad luck that Melody made this discovery on the same night that Morgaine placed a spell on Flebert using Mephistopheles.

  When Mephistopheles squeezed through the slightly ajar door to Lance Flebert's room, he leaped on the actor's bed, softly crept upon his chest and settled there, staring down at the slumbering man. He watched for a while as Flebert's face contorted with troubled dreams as though he was aware of what was about to happen to him. When Flebert settled down, quietly snoring on his back, the cat lowered his face to the sleeping man's quivering lips as though to kiss him. A black mist seeped from between the cat's lips, entered Flebert's mouth and slid down his throat.

  Flebert sat straight up in bed so suddenly Mephistopheles screeched and ran from the room. The actor's eyelids were open but rolled back so that no iris showed. Without turning on a light, he rose from his bed, left his room and walked stiff-legged with hands hanging in an unnatural way to his side. At Morgaine's door, he stood for a few moments until Mephistopheles rubbed against his leg. After which he rapped three times lightly.

  Morgaine, dressed only in her sheer nightgown, opened her door. “Come in."

  When Flebert entered the room, he stood silently, staring straight ahead, his hands at his side. Morgaine sidled up to him, her breasts brushing up against his arm, whispered a series of commands in his ear and handed him her athame which he stuck in the waistband of his pajama bottom. After she opened her door, he returned woodenly to the corridor.

  From Morgaine's room he went to Melody's and Michael's suite and tried the doorknob. When the door yielded, he stepped in and without switching on a light called, “Melody,” in a deep hoarse voice that was in no way similar to his normal manner of speaking. No one replied. The door he entered led to Melody's combination sitting room and office. He moved to the adjoining master bedroom and called Melody's name again. It too was unoccupied.

  Flebert returned to the hallway and slowly walked down the long main staircase. When he reached the bottom, he went to the study and again called out in that strange unearthly voice, “Melody. Melody, come here.” He gazed around the room from the doorway. When he saw that a book had been removed from the bookshelves, he pulled the iron ring which caused the shelves to move revealing the door to the secret passage. He took the dagger from under his waistband and entered the dark passageway.

  Seeing that there were three possible ways Melody could have go
ne, he growled, low and fierce, like an angry dog. He chose the passage to the left, feeling his way along it until he stumbled upon a staircase leading up. He climbed these and headed toward a tiny light. This turned out to be from a hole in the wall the size of a pearl. Flebert put his eye to it and stared into Jack Westcott's room. Westcott was pacing up and down, pausing once in a while to sip from a glass on the bureau.

  Flebert returned the way he had come. As he neared the secret entrance from the library, he heard footsteps of someone coming up the spiral staircase that led to secret rooms below. He flattened against the back wall so that the shadows would prevent whoever came up from seeing him, but would be within easy reach. He held the dagger ready.

  When Melody stepped off the spiral staircase, Flebert grabbed her from behind, pulled her into the shadows and held the knife against her throat. “Don't scream or make any outcry,” he ordered in a hoarse, ugly voice. “Don't struggle or I'll slit your throat."

  "What do you want with me?” Melody croaked out in a whisper.

  "I need to bring you somewhere. If you come quietly, I won't hurt you."

  She nodded. “All right. Which way?"

  "Back down the stairs."

  It was awkward going since Flebert held on to Melody as she struggled to navigate the narrow steps without tripping. When they reached the bottom, he loosened his grip in order to switch on the lights. Melody twisted free, ran into the laboratory and slammed and locked the door. Flebert pounded loudly on the door. After a while he slammed into it with his shoulder loosening the screws of the small bolt lock. Finally, the bolt lock screws popped out. Inch by inch the workbench Melody had pushed against the door slid away.

  It was Michael's other secret that saved Melody from Flebert. Michael had helped Jack Westcott steal an android from the government project that he worked on. It had been hidden at Moonwood for years. As Flebert was about to burst into the room to get at Melody, the robot calmly watched her struggles. It said to Melody in an unemotional tone as though giving a weather report, “You seem to be in distress. Is there a problem?"