CHAPTER 12 (PART - C) end of chapter 12



Lento could feel this evening there was much dark energy around. He read the book Herr Wagner wanted him to read silently practicing pronunciations. None of this stuff was familiar to him. He hadn’t witnessed anything of the caliber. It all sounded like something that came out of a fairy tale book, or at least a dark fairy tale book. He was almost kind of interested just to see if the ritual would actually work, but then he realized to his relief there was no need for actual human sacrifice. Lento read some foot notes that said, ‘A demon has no physical form in our world; and therefore, humans are the driving forces of both good and evil, and it is through humans that good and evil do battle.’

Lento still could not figure out exactly what the purpose for doing such a dark ritual was for. It seemed Herr Wagner had his sites temporarily elsewhere, but he decided he was not going to question Herr Wagner’s motives for his mood swings were quick to come about. It was getting late and he was starting to wonder if Allan and the other’s had succeeded in doing what they set out to do. Ivan had already fallen asleep after eating a large bowl of clam chowder. Lento began to change into his dark robes and it wasn’t only a moment after he finished Mikhail returned.

“You’re back” Lento greeted.
“Allan is one crazy man” Mikhail laughed.
Lento noticed Mikhail’s eyes looked a little red and glossy.
“Not as crazy as Gaspar…” Lento commented.
“No, nothing like Gaspar, Allan can be fun when he gets a few drinks…he’s a real ladies man you know?” Mikhail took off his shoes climbing into his cot still laughing.
“Ladies man? What are you talking about?” Lento asked curiously.
“Oh his old friend, but she was a beauty!” Mikhail smiled dreamily as he turned over to get comfortable.

“Allan? A ladies man? Don’t make me laugh…” Lento commented, but before he could finish Mikhail was already snoring.
“He’s drunk…” Ivan opened his eyes.
“How did you guess?” Lento smiled sarcastically.

Lento grabbed his bird mask and made his way to Herr Wagner’s chambers. It was a full moon, and down below in the mess hall crew members could be heard playing cards, drinking, or taking part in other vices. Lento wasn’t quite sure what to expect as he made his way past a couple of random crewmen who gave him strange looks. Lento began mentally preparing himself for what was about to take place blocking out all other sounds of life.

When he arrived, Gaspar stood by the door talking to a couple of other crew members in a low voice. Lento didn’t have time to eavesdrop and continued into Herr Wagner’s chambers. “Good you are the last member, now lock the door behind you,” a man with an Indian accent instructed. “We only have thirty minutes before the height of power, we must begin the ritual immediately” the Fakir said hiding behind his mask and robes.

Lento locked the door and the continued down the secret corridor. It was lit by dim lights when they entered the room, and a couple of grey robed men stood at the door like sentinels. Two other people were dressed in the same robes and mask themselves while one person wore red robes and a happy expressive mask as one would wear at a masquerade. Disturbingly, in the center of the room, the pentagram had a man tied down arms and legs stretched following the downside symbol. He wore a crimson red bandana and he worse no shirt as symbols were painted on his chest in blood. His mouth was gagged as he struggled in vain to break free.

“I am glad to see everyone in attendance” the man in the red robes spoke. “Tonight will be our true first test to achieve power from this ancient book of the dead!” he said holding up a really old leather bound book.

“Many think they have authentic copies, but are nothing more than fraudulent texts!” he continued as everyone took their place at one point of the star of the pentagram. “Tonight, let our enemies be afraid of our new rising power, I hope all of you have been practicing your pronunciation of the incantations, one mistake and it could be certain death for us all…” he finished.

One of the grey robed men hit a gong, “It is time to begin!” the man with the red robes said pulling an easel holding up a black mirror next to him. They began chanting in Latin at first, then an unknown language for five minutes saying the same three lines over and over. Lento started to pay attention to the black mirror. It appeared that some formless being was taking shape on the other side of it.

The man on the floor suddenly stopped struggling as a horrified look of fear remained etched on his face as he stared straight up to the ceiling. A final crescendo of chanting finished and an ice cold draft blew into the room from some unknown source. The man’s eyes closed and everyone became silent.

A couple of moments later his eyes reopened, no longer their original color but blood red. He began to grunt inhumanly and shake violently. Without warning he broke his restraints and stood up growling and hissing eying the entire group. Lento began to worry as he realized what had just happened. The man attacked one of his fellow members of the circle and picked them up by their throat. The man screamed as he tossed them half way across the chamber as if they were nothing more than a rag doll. He proceeded to attack everyone and everything in his path. The grey robed men tried to restrain him, but without success. At last, the red robed man took out an old looking gun looking at the man with red eyes.

“Come with me… to Hell!” the man hissed as he charged at the man in the red robes.

The man in the red robes shot him once in the chest and he only looked down putting his hand on his chest licking the blood off his hands, then continued after the red robed man. He shot twice and a third time, but the man got his hands on the man in the red robes knocking his mask off trying to choke him.

It was Herr Wagner, to Lento’s horror he saw when the possessed man grabbed Herr Wagner, one of Herr Wagner’s eyes was red as well while the other was an ice blue color. He pulled out his ceremonial dagger and choked out a few words and stabbed the man causing a dark fog to spew out of his mouth and he fell lifeless on the floor. Lento had never seen such a thing although he had heard of demonic possessions and priests trying to exercise them out, but nothing like this.

Herr Wagner placed his mask back on. “Tomorrow night we try once more with the other one…clean up this mess and be gone!” he said angrily as he began one last chant at the altar blowing out a huge black candle that burned in the center. They did as they were told and not one of them dared to speak.

__________________