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Rob Hinds was still fast asleep in his apartment, his wife, Christina, had risen early to prepare their breakfast and before the sun had even risen from its bed. From a spot at the foot of the bed, and about two feet above it, a spot of light appeared as if by magic and from within this magical spot of light a green vine appeared. The vine slowly snaked its way down and under the rumpled bedclothes where it injected a poison into Rob that dulled his senses. It now began to twine themselves around Rob`s legs, it was almost done when Sunray had decided to leave Cassie`s bedroom, having fallen asleep there after dining upon Cassie`s life-force. This was his custom, for he too needed his sleep at the end of the day. and so he made his way out of the apartment, and it was then that he sensed the evil, felt the icy cold, and although he was not one of God`s creatures he had a loathing for all things to do with Hell. He quickly opened Rob`s bedroom door and looked in, then he went back to Cassie and whispered in her ear.
“Cassie, wake up, Rob is in danger.”
Cassie did not immediately realise that she had heard an actual voice, she thought that she had had a premonition. This in itself was strange as she had never had such a thing happen to her before that morning, but she had had so many supernatural experiences and she thought that Sunray`s voice was another one and so she acted upon it. Therefore, she rushed from her own bed and burst into Rob and Christina`s bedroom without so much as a knock. She immediately screamed out in terror, for the vine was pulling Rob towards the magical spot of light. Now a scream normally did not affect the vine, it simply ignored it and carried on obeying its satanic master, or in this case mistress. However, Cassie was still a virgin and the scream of a virgin carries a special magic of its own, when it was used against one of the lower orders of hell, such as a vine grown and raised in Hell. Suddenly the room was filled with the stench of Hell; it was coming from the vine that was disintegrating into a thick green smoke and all because of her screams that rang around the flat.
Rob slowly woke up, his mind still dazed by the vine`s poison, but his hand reached automatically for his automatic pistol, that is until he saw what was left of the vine disappearing through the spot of light. However, his ordeal was not over yet for he immediately began to cough as the hellish smoke began to invade his lungs.
Christina, on hearing her sister scream out in fear, had rushed from the kitchen to see Cassie leaving the bedroom, and she too was coughing, but she had only inhaled a little of the hellish smoke, she was not incapacitated as Rob was. Christina had also had many experiences with Satanists and the spawn they conjured up from Hell, she immediately rushed into their small front room and seconds later she reappeared carrying two small glass bottles. One she gave to Cassie and the other she poured down the throat of her gasping husband whose face had begun to turn green from the poisonous smoke that was filling Rob`s lungs and spreading throughout the rest of his body. The effect was also magical, a scream erupted from Rob`s mouth and the green smoke that had invaded him rushed out and disappeared through the bright spot of light that immediately closed up, all that was left behind was its terrible smell, that and the cold that always accompanied evil.
“Thank you Christina, you saved my life, but what on earth made you bring holy water?” Rob finally managed to ask.
“I was preparing breakfast when I heard Cassie`s screams, it sounded as if the hordes of hell were after her, in fact I think the whole block heard her screams. When I entered the hall I saw that Cassie coughing her lungs up, and I could hear you gasping in here. At first I thought that the apartment was on fire because I could see the smoke, but then I felt the cold surround me, and that told me that we were under attack from something evil, then I noticed that the smoke was not acting normally, it was making a beeline for Cassie, it was almost a living thing!” Christina exclaimed.
Cassie now jumped in, able now to explain what had happened and of her premonition. Rob and Christina listened to her, both of them were astonished and unable to say a word until she had finished.
“Thank you Cassie; it was only your swift action, and that of Christina’s, that saved my life.” Rob said gratefully. “But since when have you been having premonitions?” Rob asked quizzically.
“I just felt that you were in danger Rob, I would not call it an actual premonition.” Cassie replied. Her face had taken on a light flush at Rob`s praise.
“Don`t mock it Cassie, we have all learned that such a thing could well be possible, if you have another of them please tell us immediately, as you did this morning, please do not wait until it is too late and we are dead.” Rob replied and then concerned for his young sister in law he asked. “You look exhausted Cassie, are you all right?”
“Yes thank you Rob, I just feel so very tired, I expect that it will pass when I get some fresh air.” Cassie replied with a smile at her favourite, and only, brother-in-law.
Rob wondered if they should make up a pentagram, to protect themselves from another attack, but just then the sun rose making it unnecessary, for the demons that Satanists call upon to attack their enemies cannot work after sunrise.
Christina now returned to the kitchen to finish making breakfast, although when she called them they found themselves to be not very hungry, although both Rob and Cassie ate it after Christina had gone to so much bother in the first place.
After getting dressed Rob decided to phone Father Pritchard to tell him of this new satanic attack and of Cassie`s premonition, when he had done so Father Pritchard was also very worried.
“I have heard of such attacks before Rob, and usually they are successful, I will read up on all of the accounts that I have and then call you at your office, but be advised, this might not be the end of it.” Father Pritchard said. “As you know, I have been going through the books that Ulysses Bourbon left behind, it has been slow going due to the amount of books that he collected regarding satanic practices and any related subjects on the matter.” Father Pritchard began. “It has not helped that they are mostly written in old English, French and Latin, but I did find a couple of instances when a Satanist made such an attack. I will skim through some of the most promising to see if I can find out any more. Rob, please let me know should something happen again, and beware of anything that goes bump in the night and I am not joking my friend.”
Father Pritchard then went on to talk about Cassie`s sudden new ability to have premonitions. “Rob, could it be the good guys are evening up some changes that are happening for the worse?”
“I suppose it could be, for we have both witnessed some strange things over the last three years” Rob wondered. “It is certainly about time that things came down on our side for a change.”
“We do not know if they have not done so already, for we have endured some terrible things and come through it.” Father Pritchard admonished Rob.
There they left it for the moment, so that Father Pritchard could search his books, and after Father Pritchard`s advice Rob decided to prepare the pentagon that was painted onto the floor of their spare room, so that they could charge it at a moment`s notice. A charged pentagram is a five-pointed star drawn upon the floor and enclosed by a circle; the circle is then covered by blessed salt. The next part of the procedure is to draw the correct mystical signs at the apexes of the star, the signs at each of the points denote the five elements, four are of matter, and they are fire, air, water and earth, the fifth element is not of matter it is of spirit. To finish charging the pentagram five white candles are set at the apexes of the star and are then set alight, and finally five goblets are set in the valleys of the star and are filled with holy water. Father Pritchard had instructed Rob in the making of a pentagram, and after the last two cases involving Satanists, Rob now kept everything that he required to construct one, the items being packed away within a box in his spare bedroom. With Christina`s and Cassie`s assistance he first poured blessed salt along the line of the circle that encompassed the pentagram. Then he placed the pewter chalices and the candles in
their respective places, he would only fill the chalices and light the candles that evening, when they would make use of the pentagram.
With this now ready for instant use the two young women both went off to university and Rob went to the SIS office to finish off some paperwork to do with his last mission. He also told Sir Willoughby Brown, his boss, about the latest supernatural occurrence to afflict him and his family.
Sir Willoughby Brown sighed when Rob had finished telling him of the satanic attack upon him.
“Rob, I know that I do not need to warn you to be careful, but call me if you need any help. Do you have any idea as to who may be attacking you this time?” The man in charge of the SIS asked.
“None at all sir, I thought that we had seen an end to our black magic cases, after the death of the Bourbons, it seems that I was wrong.” Rob replied grimly.
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In the Netherworld Moira Bourbon smiled, her attempts to use the immense power of the golden Ark of Ba’al Berith has at least allowed her to cross dimensions, even if she could only open a very small hole to allow the lesser minions of Hell to attack her enemy. She was only slightly put out when she saw her plan fail, to think that a screaming teenager could thwart her so easily. She decided to mount a more covert and even deadlier attack.