Simon Markman had been listening in on their conversation in between keeping watch and he now spoke.
"Rob, shouldn`t you have contacted the demon before you used your other spell, then you would not have had to travel far afield this morning?"
Rob looked up at him and smiled at his friend.
"Whichever way we chose to do things Simon, it would have caused its own problems. Moira had set a demon to watch over us, one that we had already given the slip before we met up with you and the others. However, had we contacted a demon then we would have had to wait for the demon to get back to us before we attempted to disappear off the radar. Moira would have already got back on our trail by then, attracted at the very least to the satanic activity near to our house, and she would have then followed us to this house. Although the way we chose has its own problems at least we have escaped our watchers, even if we will have to repeat yesterday`s spell again and again, and at least the twins are safe as long as we are all very careful." Rob replied.
Simon had not considered the point made by Rob, but then he knew nothing about demons or more importantly about Moira Bourbon.
"I see Rob; well in that case I believe that I have the ideal place for you to conjure up your demon." Simon Markman replied. "My Aunty died not long ago and her house which sits on a fair amount of ground is about to be pulled down. It has been purchased by a builder who wants to replace it with an apartment block, and the sale goes through tomorrow at noon, today though I still own it. It is in a small cul-de-sac in Walton on Thames, if you think it might be appropriate then I have a set of door keys on me."
Rob almost snatched the keys from Simon Markman hands as he gave his thanks to him, the house sounded perfect.
After ensuring that the twins were all right Rob and David headed off towards Walton on Thames. Although Rob really did not like leaving the twins, he knew that he had no choice in the matter, if he was to get their mother and Aunty back to where they belonged. In any case, the two agents would be more than adequate in babysitting the twins, for the forces of Hell had no idea of their new location. They were soon driving through the streets of Walton on Thames, the house that Simon Markman had offered to them would be an ideal spot to stay out of view of the citizens of South East England, and using the vehicles Satellite-navigation unit they were soon pulling into its large front garden.
Once inside they did not waste time in getting to work, they went into the kitchen at the rear of the house and constructed a pentagram, in case the demon took umbrage to their calling him, then they unpacked everything that they would require to conjure up a demon. From David`s investigation into the library of the dead Satanist, Ulysses Bourbon, he knew that the demon Veigel would be able to help them find Christina and Cassie, if he was prepared to do so that is. David had no qualms about using a demon to aid two innocents, the Catholic Church might frown upon it but in this instance, he did not,which was probably why they went their separate ways. They now added the necessary ingredients of the potion in a deep glass bowl on the kitchen worktop and mixed them together. Rob then lit it, and a yellow plume of smoke began to rise up from the potion, and when it reached the ceiling of the room it spread around it, thinning out as it went, David now called upon the demon Veigel to appear.
"Veigel obey my call." David ordered in a loud voice that rang loudly within the confines of the room.
Much to their surprise, it was only moments later that a thin plume of yellow smoke began to rise from the rear of the kitchen, and he now spoke again.
"Veigel come to me, I command you." David ordered the demon.
The room quickly cooled as the plume of smoke quickly turned into a thin veil of smoke within which Veigel, a minor demon appeared, his stunted body bent and his face terribly misshapen. The two men were almost sick as the stench of the beast reached them, but they did their best not to show any outward sign of it, for they needed the demon`s help not his anger.
"Who is it that dares to command a demon belonging to the terrible Lord Lucifer to appear before them, you are not Satanists, who are you, tell me before I punish you for believing that I am yours to command." Veigel called out in an angry voice that did not go with his sad looks.
"I am David Pritchard and this gentleman is Rob Hinds, feared by Satanists everywhere, you know us demon, and while we are not lowly Satanists I demand the right to ask of you a favour, one that will be handsomely repaid."
Rob now lifted up the box full of bottles of whisky and placed it on the kitchen worktop, on seeing such bounty Veigel`s eyes grew very large.
"What is it that you require of me Masters?" Veigel asked in a subservient voice.
"Moira Bourbon, that troublesome Satanist who we have bested so many times before, and allowed to live, has kidnapped my wife and her sister to show her evil thanks for our mercy. I am sure that you know them by sight demon, being one of the demons that Moira Bourbon commands obedience from, I need you to find them for me and tell me of their present location, that is all. Moira took them from my apartment in the human town of Reigate, I am sure that you know its exact location, having more than likely visited it while working for Moira Bourbon." Rob said angrily.
Rob did not beg, for that would have seen the demon disappear, no he had to appear more powerful than both the demon and Moira Bourbon, if he was to obtain any help from a minion of Hell.
"Aid us demon and we will give you all of these bottles, a gift more than commensurate for the small task we set you." David said in an offhand manner.
"Moira Bourbon is very powerful Masters; if she heard that I had assisted you she would be most angry." Veigel replied slyly.
"If she is so powerful then we, who have beaten her so many times, must be more so. However, if you are not interested in what we offer in payment for so easy a task for a demon as clever as you are, then we will command another demon to aid us, Mughasar for instance, he is almost as clever as you are." Rob replied seemingly bored by their interview with the demon.
"No Masters, I merely mentioned Moira Bourbon by way of expressing the dangers associated with the task; however I will ensure that the Satanist does not know of my interest in her business. I will gladly obey your command and will return here when I have the information that you require." Veigel said hastily for he had only been trying to up the price as he saw them as mere humans who were inexperienced when dealing with his kind.
Veigel disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, this time in a flurry of yellow smoke, leaving behind him the stench of Hell.
**********
In a suburb of the Indian city of New Delhi, Christina was once again locked up in a cellar, as she had been after her first encounter with the Bourbon family. She was sitting at a small table with a book in front of her, the title of the book was the Codex Shekhar, written by the Satanist holding her prisoner and who was instructing her in the ways of a handmaiden to Lord Lucifer. The book contained everything the Satanist thought relevant to Satanism, demons and the rituals involved in black masses, and although the original book was written in Hindi, Christina was reading an English translation, for the Satanist wanted to spread his fame around the globe. Tears began to slide down Christina`s cheeks, for she had just read the part relating to the initiation of hand maidens during their first black mass, which as far as Christina was concerned would happen in the near future. When not studying the book she had to clean the satanic temple, a task that terrified her as she could feel the cold coming off the floor and walls that had been generated by the evil beings, both human and demonic, that had visited the temple. She was certain that some of the minor minions of hell frequently visited the temple when she was there, even though she did recall hearing David say that they could only come when called by either a Satanist or a person of a similar ilk. She was only left unmolested because she had been promised to Lucifer himself as his handmaiden. She knew that Rob would be searching for her, however even if he found her she could not leave with him, not without condemning the twi
ns, her sister and Rob to a ghastly death. The flow of her tears increased and now she was openly sobbing, for she saw no escape for her from a terrible future that Moira had ordained for her. A part of her knew that her very soul was in danger if she took part in the coming black mass, but what other choice did she have?
Christina wiped her tears away when she heard the Satanist Shekhar enter the room; he was a giant of a man who might once have been handsome, however his looks had gone now, his evil lifestyle and the amount that he ate being the primary causes, aided by the amount of alcohol that he consumed. As he had entered the room he had cast lascivious looks upon her, ones that Christina could feel even though he was behind her, but then he always looked upon her in this manner, soon she would be forced to allow him to enjoy her body at the Christmas Sabbath. If the dark lord Lucifer attended the Sabbath then he would take her first, meaning that the Satanist would have to be content to be the second one to enjoy her that night, and by then she hoped to be unconscious.
Shekhar, feeling his feelings of lust growing for the English woman, hurried back to his study, he knew that only by continuing his work would he stop thinking of her, otherwise his lust filled mind might forget that the woman had been promised to Lucifer himself. He was working on an extension for his Codex Shekhar, the new copy would include the minor demons, their functions and how to summon them, this he thought would allow more Satanists to use these demons and in doing so accomplish their aims with ease.
**********
Cassie was feeling very tired from her labours, as her young body was not used to toiling for such long hours, she mouthed another insult aimed at 'her lady' Lady Moira Bourbon, the queen bitch of the universe and beloved of the demon Lord Asbaritch. Cassie held her tears back, she had told herself that she would only cry when she was alone in her cot, she would never allow Moira to see how terribly afraid and unhappy she was, never mind being on the point of exhaustion. At the moment she was down on her knees scrubbing the floors of Moira`s suite of rooms, earlier she had been washing Moira`s clothes by hand, later on she had to clean and polish the furniture. Her life revolved around Moira and this suite of rooms, which were located on the second floor of the Fortress of Asbaritch. The only room belonging to the suite that she could not enter was Moira`s private study, Moira hardly wanted her reading her book of spells in case she tried a few of them out in an attempt to escape from her clutches. The study had a spell on it forbidding anyone entry into it except Moira Bourbon, similarly there was a spell on the door that otherwise would have allowed Cassie to venture out into the rest of the fortress. The only other room she could visit was her tower room, where she ate and slept, she accessed it from the small kitchenette that in turn was off the lounge area of the suite. As she toiled away Moira entered the room from her study where she had been busy reading.
"I am so glad to see that you are working hard Cassie, I would hate to have to punish you, perhaps put a boil on the end of your nose, or maybe even break your pretty nose." Moira said maliciously.
Cassie did not bother to reply, she did not even look angrily up at 'her lady'. A little miffed at her apparent disinterest in her, Moira strolled into the kitchenette and poured herself a cup of coffee. Moira had no fear that Cassie had interfered with the food and drinks within the room, for she had created yet another spell, this time one of her own design, it prevented Cassie making such attempts, all such thoughts would be swiftly punished by giving Cassie the worst Migraine ever. Moira stood at the doorway into the kitchenette smirking at Cassie; she was enjoying herself, even if Cassie controlled her thoughts and reactions so well, for she had never had a slave before. She hoped that Rob was in the depths of despair because of her actions, but then it was his own fault, in fact Moira thought, he was getting off lightly. He should be toiling away now within the hell dimension of Tartarus, where her father`s soul had finally perished, but that was something she had to look forward to seeing in the near future.
Moira retreated into her study and once again she began to read the large heavy book upon her magnificent Oak desk. She was studying a book of spells that her dark lord had found for her, one that was written centuries ago and was written in an early demonic language. However, she had no trouble reading it, for once again Moira was part demon, able to visit the Dreamscape and able to suck energy from the dreamers of the human world.
Chapter Eight
Rob Fights Back
Moira had screamed long and loud at Mughasar, who had travelled across the dimensions to her fortress to tell her that Rob Hinds was missing. However, on hearing the demon`s sorry tale Moira did not blame the demon for rushing home to tend to his wounds, so much holy water hitting a demon, or indeed a Satanist who was part demon, was painful. Therefore, she had excused him after he had gone on to explain why he could not enter the apartment to check on the human, the human had used the protection spell to prevent just that. It was only after two days had gone by that he realised that no one had entered or left the apartment in two days and that was not normal for the likes of this particular human and his Popist friend. Moira had scowled at Mughasar, however then she laughed and looked up at the sky and cried out loud.
"Well Rob, you will never find the pretty Christina, not unless you employ a mystic, and even then the mystic had better be good because I too have used the protection spell, this time on a dungeon in New Delhi, and soon the Satanist Shekhar will be enjoying her."
Only now had Moira turned to Mughasar and order him to search the human world and not to stop searching until he found out where Rob Hinds was hiding. Just before he had departed he had caught sight of Cassie scrubbing Moira`s floor, and looking very weary. Instead of returning directly to Earth, Mughasar had first dropped into his local tavern, just for one drink, he had told himself.
Moira knew that as well as hiding from her Rob would be actively working against her, while scouring the Earth in his search for his women. If however he wanted revenge upon her he would be gravely disappointed, for this time she was safe within the Fortress of Asbaritch, and there was no way for the handsome Rob to find a way in, for that, as before, he needed her.
**********
The demon Veigel, although only a minor demon, enjoyed a much better lifestyle than most of the other demons, for he belonged to the demons of Lucifer who could travel from their own dimension to that of the humans, thus making them valuable tools for the Satanists of Earth. The bulk of the demons were Neolithic farmers, a few were artisans who provided tools and other trades to the farmers. One race of demons was used as guards and torturers in the only hell dimension known to most of the human race, Tartarus or Hell as it was generally known. The inmates of which tainted the reputation of the human race, which was why humans were looked down upon by all demons. It was in one of the hamlets where the farmers lived that Veigel had gone after leaving Rob and David. For here, he might find some information regarding the location of the two humans he had been commissioned to find, for with a world full of humans he needed a much smaller area to search if he was to stand a chance of obtaining his payment. Veigel walked into a local tavern and sat at the bar.
"A jug of your best ale landlord." Veigel said to the tall demon behind the bar.
"How goes your work Veigel, still working for the Satanist Moira Bourbon, the new consort of the Netherworld and hated by all, be they demon, human or tortured soul?" The landlord enquired politely as he served one of his best customers, one who had met Lucifer himself.
"A demon has to earn a crust Landlord; I cannot afford to be choosey especially when she is so well regarded by Lord Asbaritch." Veigel replied sullenly. "Tell me Landlord, has Mughasar been in today?" Veigel inquired for he hoped to hear the latest gossip from the demon in the hope that his friend had heard something concerning Moira and her latest activities.
"Here he is now Veigel, another demon bound to Moira Bourbon." The landlord replied as he moved along the bar to greet his new customer.
"Allow me Mughasar; I am f
eeling generous today after serving my mistress." Veigel boasted." "Landlord, two more jugs of ale please."
Mughasar looked across at one of the few demons that he could call a friend and smiled.
"What did the dark mistress want of you this time, to find Rob Hinds or to spy on Christina Hinds to ensure that she is not causing the Satanist Shekhar any problems?" Mughasar asked sullenly. "You heard what the human did to me, and now he has disappeared with his two children and the Popist, disappeared into thin air."
Veigel had not heard anything about the disappearance of the Rob and the others, for Mughasar had only just informed his mistress of the calamity, but Veigel did not put him right, instead he replied commiseratingly "So I heard my friend, come on drink up and then you can buy me another drink." Veigel replied without answering his friend`s question. "Landlord, two more jugs of ale, my friend Mughasar is paying this time."
"Of course the other one, the younger sister, Moira has taken her up to the Netherworld to act as her handmaiden, and as a captive in the Netherworld there is not much that she can do but obey her dark mistress."
Veigel noted this second piece of information, thinking that soon his task would be completed and the payment his to drink or trade. However, he could not leave too early or it would be noted by Mughasar who just might wonder why, no, he would leave only when his friend was too drunk to notice anything.
**********
Moira left her study, she needed to amuse herself after learning that Rob had given his watcher the slip, and she knew just how to do that. Cassie was busy polishing her furniture when Moira walked in on her.
"Maid, you call this floor clean, Moira screamed, I cannot see my face in it, do it again, there will be no food for you until you have done it correctly, understand girl?" Moira screamed at Cassie angrily.
"Yes my Lady." Cassie said who had just finished cleaning the wooden floor, now she began to polish the floorboards while wondering why the bitch would want to see her hag-like face.