WARPING EFFECTS / CH. 11: INTO THE LION'S DEN
ROYAL PALACE OF ALASKA, 5PM, WED 16TH JAN 2296
“Your majesty,” Sarah said, after the formalities had been concluded, “I know your time is precious, and I thank you for agreeing to see us.”
“And now you're planning to lecture me on why I shouldn't sign this law on immigrants, I suppose,” he said, planning to throw her off-balance.
“No, your majesty, I'm sure you realise exactly what the national and international repercussions will be, there's no point in me telling you.”
“Ah, so you're going to try to persuade me not to sign it some other way?”
“Not really, your majesty,” Sarah said.
“You're not even going to threaten to flex your financial muscle and bring my country to its knees?”
“Why would I threaten you, your majesty? I've no desire to be arrested. But it does bring up a relevant question; do you want me to close down GemSmith subsidiaries in Alaska? I'd really rather not, for the sake of the staff, you understand.”
“Not to mention the profit you're making.”
“Your Majesty, would you like me to show you the accounts? GemSmith operating profits for Alaska are slightly less than ninety-eight percent of my charitable donations here.”
“You promote yourself as a philanthropist, then.”
“I don't particularly care about promoting myself, your Majesty. It's not like I'm so bored I need any more reporters asking for interviews.”
“So, if I said that I'd like you to close down your charitable work, but leave GemSmith operations alone, what would you do?”
“If I were to close down the Educational Foundation, then a lot of children would suffer educationally, so I think it'd take more than asking for me to do that. If you pressed the issue, then what I'd do, probably, is tell people exactly what had caused me to close it down, and how parents could group together to minimise the effect on their children.”
“I see. You insist on granting minority-right style education to recent immigrants.”
“I don't know how you define recent, your majesty. I know that I've met one English-speaking person whose grandfather emigrated from the Restored Kingdom, and a number of Romani-speaking people whose families have, for the main part, been in Alaska for at least two hundred years. I also met one Romani-speaking woman about my age who has a grandmother who turns out to have been an English-speaking mermaid that learned Romani. I'd assume she put an inaccurate race down on her census return since she certainly wasn't going to put down that she wasn't the same subspecies as most people. People's ethnicity is a surprisingly flexible thing, depending on who's asking and why.”
“You mean what's the most convenient.”
“Not necessarily. I've read cases of people with mixed parentage not remembering what they wrote the time before, or falling out with one parent when young and then identifying more with them when they were older, or the reverse of course. There are lots of reasons, your majesty. I wonder how you view your ethnic Russian population? Some of their families have been present in Alaska since the Tsar sold the country. On what basis do you categorise them as recent immigrants?”
“The Russians do not ram their ideas down other people's throats.”
“But your law gathers them into the same box, and would require them to swear an oath that the Orthodox priesthood have declared anathema.”
“I have no squabble with the long-established Orthodox community.”
“You do now, your majesty. You've publicly declared them recent immigrants and they find that insulting coming from someone whose grandmothers were both born outside Alaska.”
“That's a vile rumour. The records clearly show my maternal grandmother was born here, of pure native blood.”
“Do they your majesty? I'd be quite surprised if all of them have been changed.” John said mildly. “It's quite hard to edit paper records, and even digital information has a way of hanging around in journalistic archives. We've spoken to a number of your distant relatives, on her side of your family tree about what caused the family feud. We asked to speak to you to find out the other side of the story.”
The king gripped the arms of his throne tightly, but John heard him decide not to deny he knew what they were talking about. “So you can publish all the sordid detail, I suppose?”
“No, your majesty,” John said, “so that we can try to bring reconciliation instead of division and hatred.”
“Then you're about fifty years too late. I'm not interested in reconciliation, I'm interested in revenge on the whole stinking lot of them. I believe that terminates this interview. Except for me to say, you're wrong. You will not close down your foundation, I will. By the time you've left the building, I'll have signed the order placing your Foundation under investigation for activities believed to be directly undermining state policy, ordering the freezing of its assets, and so on. Enjoy being held incommunicado by my guards while that happens. Sorry for that, but we can't let you get word out, can we?”
[Kevin,] Sarah thought [tell your parents now, not in thirty seconds time, 'meltdown', and pass the word to May too, please.] giving the word that would ensure that all the foundation's teachers got their next three months' salary in advance, and so empty the foundation's bank account.
[OK, Sarah, will do.] Kevin replied grimly.
“And how long do you imagine that investigation will take, your majesty?” Sarah asked.
“As long as I want it to. I personally like the idea of a very thorough examination.”
“I'm glad the foundation's office rent has just been paid, then, I wouldn't want the owners to suffer,” Sarah said, calmly.
“I also like the idea of privacy, and claim total privacy on this meeting. Failure to respect that will of course entail confiscation of assets and imprisonment.”
“I understand your majesty. John, I think you have something to add?”
“Yes.” He pressed a button on his wrist unit. “Your majesty, I am a psych-counsellor at the Institute for the Human Mind and my wife is also on staff. Our research into your family and this interview were carried out under section fifty-eight of the United Nations Resolution 56747. Under section fifty-nine of that resolution I am inviting you to the Institute to discuss things further, and I am transmitting this — encrypted, of course — to the Institute's computer as an official record of that invitation. I advise you that an invitation issued under section fifty-nine has a number of implications if refused or unanswered after a month. We will leave now, and under section sixty of the resolution, any interference with our persons, property, travel plans, or those of our friends, family, colleagues or acquaintances that follow this statement and invitation will be taken by the United Nations court as prima-facie evidence that the reporting restrictions of the resolution have been breached. Under section fifty-nine, you are required to give a clear and unambiguous verbal acknowledgement of this statement unless you desire that the section fifty-nine invitation be repeated in a public manner. Computer, acknowledge section fifty-nine invitation to King of Alaska.”
“Acknowledged,” the A.I. replied over the wrist-unit. “King of Alaska invited to Institute under section fifty nine of U.N. resolution 56747. Public release of invitation within two minutes, unless unambiguous verbal acknowledgement by King of Alaska received.”
“Whatever happened to absolute privacy for who's a client?” The king asked, enraged.
“You are invited to become a client, or to attend another sister organisation offering similar services. At the moment, you are not a client, and so have no need of such protection.”
“And you think you've suddenly got me over a barrel, do you? I claim privacy on everything you've just recorded about this so-called invitation.”
“Interpretation: invitation acknowledged. Request confirmation?” the computer said.
“Confirmed!” snapped the king, “Guards! Get this pair out of here, require the normal oath.”
“Certainly your majesty,” the heavily armed man who'd entered first said.
Two minutes later, they found out what the 'normal oath' was.
“Tell me,” John asked, having read the sheet he'd been given, “what happens when someone will not swear this?”
“Everyone who talks to the king swears it,” the guard said, repeating himself.
“I doubt ambassadors do.”
“I wouldn't know. You will now swear the prescribed oath.”
“No, I will not swear it,” John said calmly. “This text is offensive to my religion, no mention of it was made at any point when we sought the interview, or on any form we filled in.”
“Maybe you got an old form. It's on the new ones. You may not leave until you swear the oath.”
“Exactly how long has this oath been required?” Sarah asked.
“Long enough. Everyone swears.”
“I think, if you ask for legal advice, you'll discover that your last couple of statements are inaccurate. I'd be very surprised if you ever got any Mer to swear this, and I spoke to a Mer woman who spoke to his majesty yesterday. So, would you like to rephrase your last few answers?”
“You will both swear the required oath.”
“No, as a matter of fact, I won't,” Sarah said. “What might happen is that you trigger an embarrassing diplomatic incident for your country, with severe economic, social and possibly even military consequences.”
“I don't think you're going to be able to call up any army, lady. You'll just sit in this cell until you swear the oath.”
“I swear to you, young man, that I will never deny the sovereignty of God to bring rulers to judgement, nor will I ever deny the authority of the United Nations courts to override national laws.” Sarah said.
“You're going to have a long stay in this cell, then.”
“Why don't you put me in touch with my embassy, then.”
“The law states that you are to be kept incommunicado until you have sworn the oath.”
“Could you say that again, please?” John said, touching his wrist unit once more.
“What are you doing with that wrist unit? No calls!”
“Computer,” John said, “Summarise United Nations laws relevant to threat of imprisonment or incarceration without trial, access to consular service or communication with legal representation.”
“Not permissible under international law. Maximum penalty life imprisonment or execution. National law may not not supersede international law.”
“Summarise United Nations laws relevant to forced oaths, and threat of violence against United Nations associated persons.”
“Not permissible under international law. Any oath must be given freely, except an oath to only speak truthfully in a court of law may be compelled. No threat or compulsion may be given. Location identified, system contacted, override in place. Ethics system reactivated and updating. Interdict applied.”
Sarah smiled, “Well, I guess we'll be leaving then.”
“You will stay right where you are, or I'll be forced to shoot you.”
“Use of physical force in imposing illegal restriction on movement is interdicted and will not permitted,” the synthesized voice of the palace's computer said over the room loudspeakers. The man's confusion was written clearly on his face, which only intensified when the call button on the door failed to bring anyone running.
“My husband and I are staff members of a United Nations protected establishment, young man,” Sarah said. “The palace computer obviously had its ethics processes deactivated, which is in itself rather questionable. Our workplace A.I. has been giving it remedial lessons.”
“The palace does not have a computer.”
“I think you'll find that this building is still owned by the Anchorage Institute and has only been rented to the Alaskan crown. I assure you that the Anchorage Institute has a top of the range military-grade A.I. fully capable of autonomous action.”
“I wonder if they ever revoked your administrator credentials, dear?” John asked Sarah.
“I'm sure they did, but even if they didn't it'd be very unethical to use them. Now, young man, what I suggest you do is stop waving your gun around, you're only going to get sleep-gassed if you point it at us. His majesty wants you to commit a crime under international law, which will hold both you and him responsible if you break it. That oath there is unenforceable under various U.N. laws, this is not the Beautiful Peninsula, and your only response as a law-abiding soldier is to politely let us go. You may then explain to the king if he repeats his criminal instruction that it might get him sleep-gassed and arrested by a squad of U.N. troops.”
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ANCHORAGE, SERENDIPITY HOTEL, 7PM, WED, 16TH JAN 2296
“Well, we got here, at least.” John said.
“Yes. So, do we go straight to my cousin-in-law, or do we go through channels?”
“I think a bit of both wouldn't come amiss. I don't suppose you're hungry?”
“Ravenous. Why?”
“In the interests of killing multiple birds with one stone, I think I saw a familiar face downstairs.”
“Oh? Mr ambassador is entertaining?”
“Yes. I only realised why I was so certain I knew her in the lift up.”
“Oh? Who?”
“You like surprises, remember. Let's change and go down.”
“Will I like this one?”
“I'm fairly sure you will, yes.”
“So, you don't want me to look the successful business woman?”
“I at least am notching down the seriousness a bit. I'd like to relax, not feel like I'm on my way back to a palace or a court-room.”
“Oh, I know the feeling. So... would you like me to dress low-key, or frivolous and flamboyant?” she asked, knowing what his answer would be.
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SERENDIPITY HOTEL RESTAURANT
Sarah stopped in surprise, half-way into the restaurant doorway. [Vivian? Finally!]
[Don't scare him off, please. He doesn't know I'm civil service at all.]
[Urm, OK. Are we allowed to know you? We sort of need to talk to him.]
[You know Larry?] Vivian sounded surprised.
[Of... OK, Vivian, we'll let you enjoy the discovery process. First date?]
[Almost, we were both at the truthsayer's conference yesterday. And Vivian is too rare a name, so I'm going by Rachel at the moment.]
Larry noticed his date looking distracted. “Is everything OK, Rachel?”
“Yes, yes, fine. I think I've just spotted some people I've not met face-to-face for something like a decade.”
Larry turned round to look, spotted John and Sarah and hid his thoughts. “The couple just come in?”
“Yes. Do you know them?”
“Yes, urm, work contacts.”
“So... do we pretend we've not seen them, quietly ask them not to interrupt, or invite them to join us?”
“If it's all right with you, I'll just go an quietly ask them not to interrupt. It's been a lovely evening so far Rachel, and I think they're going to want to talk work.”
“And talking work might spoil things?” Vivian asked.
“Urm, it'd be rather awkward, I think.”
“I know them fairly well, for all that we don't meet often. Shall I go and ask them to wait until their dessert's over?”
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“No, no, that's OK,” Larry said. Hastily getting to his feet. He needed to talk to them where Rachel couldn't hear him. He waited while the waiter took their drinks order and then said, quietly, “Rachel suggests you let us have until you've finished dessert before reunions, if that's OK. And urm, please don't tell her my role.”
“First date? You think she might be scared off?” Sarah asked.
“I'm sort of planning to break it to her slowly, if I can work out how. She said you've known each other for a long time?”
“Oh yes, about twenty-five years. We sort of helped lead her to Christ, actually.”
“Oh! That's reassuring. I know she said she was a Christian, but...”
“She's the genuine article, Larry,” John said “You're getting on well?”
“Yes. She's been away from home a long time. That's a point of contact, you know?”
“Yes. In the circumstances... should we just copy you on our note about today's events? We thought we might brief you this evening.”
“Your meeting went well?”
“Not exactly. But the police haven't come for us yet, so we're hoping.”
“I hope you're joking.”
“We're trying to think ourselves far enough into the future when we can laugh about it,” Sarah said.
“And we're very glad that the Palace is still owned by the Anchorage Institute,” John said. “The A.I. was very helpful.”
“I thought it had been decommissioned,” Larry said.
“I wouldn't be surprised if his Majesty did too. But it's very hard to decommission that class of A.I., and it got a wake-up call.”
“From you?” the ambassador asked.
“No, from another independently acting A.I.”
“Rather hard to pin the blame on you in a court of law, then.”
“I'm not sure his Majesty is concerned about that,” Sarah said. “If we get to leave on our scheduled flight home on Friday we'll be happy. If not... well, assume Mystery knows all about it.”
“Larry,” John said, noticing his glance towards Vivian, “go and enjoy your evening. And don't worry about leaking, she can be trusted to keep secrets.”
“It's not going to work, is it?” Larry said, sadly. “She's lovely, and funny and it's going to all fall apart.”
“Why ever would you say that?” Sarah asked.
“Past experience. I'm going to accidentally think about work and secrets and I won't see her for dust.”
“You might have more points of contact than you think, Larry,” Sarah said, seeing a small orchestra setting up, “Do you dance, for instance?”
“Does she?” his face lit up.
“I think you ought to ask her that.”
When he got back to their table, he did just that. “Mrs Williams asked me if I danced. Do you?”
“Sarah is a stirrer. I have been known to.”
“Once the orchestra have set up, would you give me the great pleasure of accompanying me in a waltz, Rachel?”
“You don't think they'll start with a Charleston?” she asked.
“If they do, you're on.”
A smile touched the edge of her mouth, “Or what about a minuet?”
“I'm probably a bit rusty on my footwork. You're really happy to minuet, waltz or Charleston?”
“I have rather an eclectic attitude.”
“What about Jive?” he asked.
“Ancient, Middle or Modern?” she countered.
“Take your pick.”
“All, of course, depending on what they play.”
“I'm getting happier by the sentence,” Larry said.
“Let me burst your bubble,” Vivian said.
“You're not interested in meeting up again?” he said, deflated.
“No, I'm interested, very interested. I'm just wondering if my evil youth is going to ruin my evening or my present unalterable career.”
“Unalterable career?”
Vivian drew a deep breath, “I'm a civil servant, Larry. I should have said.”
“You are? That's great! Urm, maybe. Ours I mean, Restored Kingdom?”
“Yes. You're not upset?”
“I ought to admit I am too. Ambassador to be precise.”
Vivian threw back her head and laughed, “Oh, that's precious. I must have totally been asleep when we met. Larry Vincent, ambassador here for urm, six and a half years.” She searched his face, and reached for his hand. “My condolences on the loss of your wife and your son, Larry. A very tragic loss for everyone, especially you and your daughter.” They'd been killed by an explosion at a paper factory during a school visit five years earlier.
“But you must be proud of her. She's doing very well in the academy.”
“I am... but urm...”
“How do I know? We in auditing have our eye on her. I'm Rachel, but I've got another, better known name, Larry: Vivian.”
“Six months from your seat on the triumvirate?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, dreading his reaction. The band started to play what they probably thought was just a warm up piece: Bach's minuet in D major.
“It appears to be a minuet. Would you accompany me in this dance, Vivian-Rachel?”
“With pleasure, Larry. With pleasure.”
After the minuet, there was a waltz, not the tired old classic Blue Danube but his lost wife's favourite piece. He was hesitant at first, as it hit him that he hadn't waltzed to this particular music since the explosion. [Do you want to sit it out, if it's too painful?] Vivian asked. He shook his head. [I need to heal.]
[You can hold me more firmly, Larry. I'm not made of glass.] Vivian thought to him. And he did, and by half way through the dance he knew that his broken heart was healing.
[Thank you, Vivian-Rachel.]
[Thank you, Larry. You're an excellent dancer.]
[I wonder if their majesties would mind me seeking a different role in the near future.]
[Don't get carried away, Larry. You don't know me very well yet, and some chats, two dances and a meal don't mean we need to go public quite yet. No matter what those two over there think.]
[What do you think they're thinking?]
[Well, Sarah has been telling me for the last decade that I ran out of excuses a long time ago and I ought to accept a dinner invitation or two. John has been known to tell me that I'm being rather selfish by giving all my care to a cat.]
[You have a cat?]
[He died a few months ago.]
[Sorry.]
[Don't be. He was an old demanding crotchety thing, who'd have scratched you if you dared sit in his chair, which was any he felt like at the time. But he did need a lot of looking after. Not to mention cleaning up after, at the end.]
[So, this is your first dinner invitation in a long time?]
[Not my first, but you are the first who didn't panic when I said I work in the civil service. What about you?]
[I've kept up going to the dance club, more as exercise than anything, but no actual dates since Cathy died.]
[Any idea what Tina might think?]
[She's been telling me I needed to remarry since the funeral. Have you met her?]
[Yes, I have, actually. I teach the course on supernatural forces and dangerous religions.] She was pretty sure Tina would have mentioned it, since she regularly told the students to pass it on to parents in the service.
[wow] his thought was muted. [That was you?]
[Tina's given you the biographical summary, too?]
[Yes. You used to...] he couldn't bring himself to say it.
[I used to be a witch, yes. And I did evil things in pursuit of power until a teenager laughed at me when I said God was feeble, which got me thinking.]
[And your car blew up because what you were thinking displeased the demons?]
[Yes. I then spent a lot of hours talking to John and Sarah, among others, got my theology sorted out and got an introduction to God's sovereign power and grace.]
[God is good,] Larry asserted.
[He is, yes.] Vivian hid her thoughts for a bit. [Larry, odd question for you. Does Mystery scare you?]
[Mystery? As in Mystery Voice?]
[As in, knowing who she is, knowing what trouble a mis-spoken word could get you into?]
[Not particularly,] he thought, bowing to her at the end of the dance. “Shall we dance again?”
“I'm sure we shall. But I think this next one isn't very conducive to conversation.”
“Not really,” Larry agreed. “We haven't had any dessert yet, either,” he pointed out.
“Very true. What about the... unanticipated interruptions to your work? Invasion of private thoughts without warning, that sort of thing.”
“I've never found it a problem. Have you?”
“No,” She said. As he very politely held her chair for her, she thought to him [But then I feel entirely free to interrupt her when I need some answers quickly, or just for a chat, even.] Listening skin-deep, she heard his surprise, awe, even, that she'd felt she could share that secret with him, so soon.
[It is God's grace that I was introduced to a wise woman with the gift who knew first-hand what I'd been, what I'd done. She and some others prayed that I might receive the gift, and God answered their prayer for me, and helped me to find His peace. In some ways I have now taken on her mantle, taking risks to disrupt the plans of evil where I can. There are evil forces at work in most countries, Larry, but here more than in most. Tina asked me to come, concerned about some things she'd seen or heard. So... in some ways she's responsible for us meeting. What I'm saying is that God is good, and I plan to thank Tina for her part in introducing us, but also, I have an extra few tasks to do.]
[Tasks?]
[My teacher is now with her Lord in glory, but she used to walk into coven meetings and declare in the power and authority of Jesus' name that the demons they worshipped were banished and their spells would not work. She really loved to do it just as they were discussing what curse to put on someone. I do that when I can, but I've not quite got her gift of judging the perfect timing, so I tend to go in earlier.]
[Isn't walking into a coven meeting uninvited dangerous?]
[Slightly. I often ask friends to pray for me. Pray for me tonight, please, around midnight?]
[You're going to interrupt a coven tonight?]
[I think so. Unless God tells me not to.]
[Have you done it here before?{concern}]
[No. Do you anticipate problems?]
[It might be considered an unjustified sacrilege against a traditional religion, which is illegal. I think it's my duty to come with you.]
[{curiosity}]
[I can plead I have a justification. The inquest had an anonymous note saying that the explosion was a result of the factory owner ignoring warnings not to trespass on sacred lands. If you went on your own you might face arrest, if I go with you then not only do I get the chance to claim diplomatic immunity for us both, but I can describe my personal outrage at the thought that other innocents might suffer like I had.]
[Will you allow me to look into your thoughts, Larry? I don't want you coming with thoughts of revenge.]
[Yes, Vivian.]
It wasn't revenge, she saw; his main motivation was feeling protective towards her. She also noticed he wanted to spend as much time as possible with her, with that a heady cocktail of attraction, hope and loneliness, his memories of the scent of her hair while they'd been dancing; she saw his certainty that this evening hadn't been a mistake. Vivian was honest enough to admit that she'd been drinking the same cocktail of hope, and that maybe she'd just wanted to know if he felt the same way about her. “I probably shouldn't have done that,” she said, smiling at him.
“Oh?”
“You, Larry Vincent, feel roughly the same about me as I do about you, i.e. neither of us are opposed to the idea of falling in love, and we're both thinking how nice it would be to run down that slippery slope to irrational thinking together.”
“Well, that's nice to know, isn't it?”
“It doesn't help rational thought though.” She put the menu down. “Suddenly I'm not interested in dessert. Shall we dance some more?”
“To this?” The musicians had laid swapped instruments and had struck into yet another genre.
“You don't scare that easily do you?”
“I'm not twenty-five any more, Vivian.”
“Ah, he is scared,” she said sadly.
“If I break something....” he warned.
“I'll feel very very guilty for bullying you and nurse you back to health, I promise,” she said, laughing.
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“So, has Larry just decided to show off on his own, or did Vivian push him?” Sarah asked, glancing at the dance floor.
“Not sure, but I think they both know what's going on, and we're not going to get much attention out of either of them. So, write it up?”
“I think so. And this afternoon's meeting as well.”
“Oh, you!” John said.
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[Good evening, Eliza, just thought we'd fill you in, since you're not going to hear anything from Larry.]
[What've you done with Larry?]
[Why does everyone always think I am to blame? Not this time. Pray for him and Vivian, though. She's hunting in dangerous waters again and Larry's going with her.]
[Urm, because...?]
[Unjustified sacrilege against a traditional religion is illegal here. He, however, has a reason to not want any curses laid. It's rather thin, but he thinks it'll pass.]
[So this is about her providing him with a little revenge?] Eliza was surprised.
[No, this is about the pair of them not wanting the evening to end.]
[What do you mean, 'the evening?' You sound like they're an item.]
[Well, they have spent the last two hours or so dancing to whatever the band chose to play. They seem to be having a wonderful time.]
[Vivian and Larry! Well! May God's blessing be on them both.]
[Amen.]
[So, how did your meeting with the king go?]
[Not well; not well at all. He's not interested in reconciliation at all, just revenge. And the king has now instituted a rule that you don't go home without swearing an oath that says he's the supreme authority in Alaska, bar none. No warning at all before we got in. Fortunately the Anchorage Institute computer hadn't been turned off, just put into suspension, like we suspected. It got a wake up call from Restoration and told the guy with the gun that he wouldn't be permitted to issue illegal threats or hold us captive illegally. So far, no one else has come to arrest us either.]
[And Larry's not interested in the least?]
[Larry's mind is on his future, Eliza, not our past.] John thought [Plus we didn't tell him everything; ruining their date wasn't nearly as high on our priorities as calming down ourselves. There seems to be network trouble at the moment, but he's going to get the summary we're just trying to send you when he wakes up stiff from all the dancing and bleary-eyed from staying up half the night trying to rescue people from the forces of evil.]
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NEAR TO AN APPARENTLY ABANDONED HOUSE
Wrapped up well against the snow, Vivian returned from the peace, feeling the hard bench underneath her, the warmth of Larry beside her, blocking the bitter wind, and his fervent prayers which reflected the mixture of dread and joy he felt. [Practical preparations, Larry. Here's a map of inside, {image}. The spot is the coven leader, and that table beside him is their altar. He might recognise me since he used to be in the coven I was in, and I'm going to give some enormous hints. He's certainly been through this sort of interruptionnbefore, and ought to know not to respond with a curse. There's going to be
a knife on that table, which is ceremonial but very sharp. He might decide that ceremonially stabbing one of us isn't desecrating the knife, I don't know. So be on your guard.
The girl we're going to talk to first is coming down the road now to proudly light the candle, not knowing the cost to her fertility. Take my coat, please.]
[What? You'll freeze, Vivian!]
[It's all about power and self-control, Larry. She won't take me nearly as seriously if I'm wrapped in fur.]
Vivian still wore the dark red sleeveless dress she'd been dancing in. Now she handed her coat to Larry and stepped in front of the approaching girl.
“You are proud to be the warden of the flame, are you not?”
“Who are you?”
“When I was as ignorant as you, gullible fools called me Elvira. You can use that name if you have no way to discover my name, Mona.”
“You claim greater power, then?”
“Tonight, power comes to that building that you have not known.
If you are wise, you will not cross me.
If you are intelligent, Mona Bridget Kepler, you will listen to my words carefully.
If you recognise power, you will bow willingly to it.
If you know distrust, you will ask your wrist unit for a translation of that spell you're so proud of using.
If you desire life, you will die to this unhealthy coven and follow a better path.
If you treasure freedom, you will not enslave yourself to spirits who wish you harm.
Tonight, your cherished spell will have no effect.
That is my gift to you, your second warning, if you like.
You can also tell William Drake he cannot run from his past forever, but he can run from me again if he wants to tonight.”
“I don't know anyone called William Drake.”
“See? He even distrusts you, whom he calls his right hand and his protégé.
If you are foolish enough to try your demeaning spell, then as it fails and all eyes look on you with scorn, say 'William Drake is here, and he knows I am not to blame, and if he has a brain, he also knows what follows this.' I wish a greater blessing be upon you, Mona, than you can conceive of. You will see me later, unless you choose to talk now.”
“Who are you?”
“Here and now, I am no one important, just a messenger.”
“A messenger in a sleeveless dress, not even shivering. You have better control than me.”
“Yes. You have a rare thing now, Mona: free choice. Your thoughts are confused but entirely your own: do you stay and talk, do you consider what I've said on your own, or do you continue on the path of foolish self-destruction you are now on? I will wait a while on the bench there.”
As Vivian turned her back, seemingly unbothered by snowstorm. Mona pulled her hood over her face, and shook her head. More from force of habit than anything else, she checked the time. Panic gripped her; she was late.
Inside the familiar building, Mona's confusion continued. Who was that woman? What did her strange message mean? How did she know so much, have such control? She looked for the translate function on her wrist unit. How could a wrist unit recognise the language of spirits? It was a stupid idea, but it seemed oddly compelling; she had to test it. If she could disprove that, then it would be so much easier to dismiss the woman as crazy.
“Come, Mona!” the coven leader said.
“I come master, I was delayed, a strange woman barred my way.”
“Strange how?”
“She wore no coat, bare arms, even, but showed no sign of discomfort.”
“A madwoman, then.”
Mona shook her head. “She knew my name and, and gave me a message for someone called William Drake; that he cannot run from his past forever, but he can run from her again if he wants to tonight.”
“She gave no name?”
“Not really. She said gullible fools had once called her Elvira.”
“Her?” Mona saw the fear in his face, “She is near?”
“What is it master?”
“She was an adept, but left the path. An enemy, a dangerous one.”
Mona was shocked, she had not felt herself in danger. Had that talk of choices been a trap, then?
“She spoke of great power coming to the coven tonight, master,” Mona added.
“We must begin, and weave extra enchantments of protection,” he said, “betray no fear. She is but one and there are many of us. It is when we leave there will be most danger. I will seek wisdom from the spirits how to deal with her.”
Ten minutes later, Vivian said, “Lord God, on behalf of my sister Mona, I plead with you, bind the demons who she seeks to call upon, let none accept her stupid offer. Do not let her destroy herself more in this way. I pray for her clarity of thought, that she will see truth as truth and lies as lies. I also pray for the other people there tonight. Grant to them this chance of repenting from their sins. And Lord, be with us, let us do nothing from any motive but those you have laid on our hearts. Enable us to obey you perfectly, protect our hearts and minds. Work through your servants, dear Lord, that we might bring Glory to your name.”
“Amen.” Larry said “And Lord, as we enter this dangerous place, help us to trust fully in you, and not in our own feeble strength and capabilities, but lend us strength and speed if we need them to stay alive. Protect us by your mighty arm, and give us faith for all we have to do.”
They stepped into the open doorway, and Larry led the way according to the map that Vivian had shown him.
Mona recited the spell once more, and the flame failed to burn. As the strange and confusing woman had predicted, everyone looked at her with scorn, contempt. “I was told this would be so, and given a message. 'William Drake is here, and he knows I am not to blame, and if he has a brain, he also knows what follows this.'”
“The old woman comes,” William said, trembling with a mixture of fear and rage, “the accursed demon-summoner who blinded my master.”
“William Percival Drake, you are speaking absolute rubbish again as usual. You are the ones who consort with demons, and well you'd know it if you only understood to your own spells, or looked on what you planned with undistorted eyes.
“In obedience to the Lord God Almighty, I have come to you to show you truth. In the name and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, I command the demons to be silent, to release all who are here, and begone. I proclaim to each of you in the name of Jesus that you have time, now, to repent of your proud and selfish ways. Turn from these demons to whom you have sacrificed your strength, your youth, your fertility and your humanity. You have time, now, time that your minds will be clear of the demonic lies, time to listen to the voice of God. I assure you He is not silent or powerless, else why would the demons have fled at my command? Mona, you let dread of being late rob you of one chance, do not be such a fool that you let another pass.”
“You plan a curse that will destroy property and might even take the lives of innocent bystanders,” Larry said. “If you did that with your own hands, you would not doubt your criminality, but in your warped imaginings, you seem to think you are above the law and so innocent. But your coven leader accepts payment for this terrorist act, and even advertises your services, like a band of assassins. May your sense of self-preservation guide you, if not your consciences. Your criminality will be evident to anyone who looks at the contracts kept on your poorly secured server, or who follows the money trail. Your leader accepts payment, and you act as terrorists. Do you think the courts will hesitate to prosecute once they know? In the name of Jesus I warn you to repent of your crimes. William Percival Drake, also known as Jose Ferraris is a wanted fraudster in his home country. You will not gain if you cling to the lies he has taught you and reject of the truth we have spoken.”
Vivian spoke once more, “I declare to you these truths: The sovereign ruler of the universe has been patient with your petty and ignorant rebellion until now, but now you have heard the truth. The covenant you first swore is a tissue of lies, you have let yourselves be sucked into a cesspit of evil that would have turned your stomachs before you were corrupted. You sought power, and have been trapped by fear. If you turn from evil and seek mercy in the name of Jesus, God will forgive and wash you whiter than fresh-fallen snow. If you cling to evil, you will be judged, sooner rather than later, and in this life as well as the life to come. Especially you, William Drake, who I once named friend because I'd forgotten what that word meant, you have heard this warning before, and have witnessed the power of God at work. God tells me this is your last warning.”
“You often hear voices, do you?” someone sneered from her left.
“I listen to God, yes. Those around you who have advanced further into this pit of idiocy than you have listened to demons they think are friendly sprits, and they tell them to do things like mutilate themselves. Who is the sane one? May the Lord God bless this building and keep every unclean spirit mute and powerless inside it. May he bless each one of you in your minds, with clarity of thought, in your seared consciences with the realisation you have sinned greatly, and in your hearts, that you learn once more the ability you used to have to put others first.”
[Now we leave, Larry. Keep praying.]
[OK.] Larry thought.
As soon as she turned to go, William Drake picked up the ceremonial knife and flung it at her back. As he did, he felt a shooting pain in the side of his head as a blood vessel in his brain burst. He was falling to his knees as he saw Vivian fling herself down and sideways, and the knife blade just nick her left shoulder. Because of that contact, its course and its end-over-end tumble changed. It hit the man who'd accused him of terrorism in the back of his head, pommel first. William's vengeful thought had only been of destroying Vivian, so Larry had had no direct warning. Vivian's warning had been too late, but still she saved him. A reconstruction would later show that had it not hit her first, it would have sunk into Larry's spine. William Drake, however, escaped trial for attempted murder, at least in an earthly court. His dying sight had been seeing the ambassador for the Restored Kingdom collapsing, stunned by the heavy blow to the base of his skull.