Convocation, page 14
“Sort of,” Marcus said, not sounding too assuring. “But I guess, why doesn’t she just call you on the telephone and make it a whole hell of a lot easier? Don’t get me wrong, if these gifts that you have are real, it is rather impressive. However, a simple telephone conversation sounds a lot easier.”
“I do what she instructs, and I never really question it. All I know is there is something much larger at play here, and she is deeply worried. She is taking every precaution to help protect everyone involved. I honestly cannot give you a great answer. But I can tell you that what we saw down in that mine, it was in fact what I thought it was. That dark place is an abomination that is designed to be a conduit for dark beasts. It calls to them, it attempts to attract them. And from what you have told me, Lilith, there is a group out there practicing this darkness. My grandmother sent you here to help protect Ulrika from these very people.”
Both Marcus and Agatha sat up straight at the mention of Ulrika.
“What do you mean protect Ulrika from them? Are they trying to make her their next victim?” Marcus asked breathlessly.
“We aren’t entirely sure how Ulrika fits into it, but we do believe that they wish to do something with her. We just don’t know if it is to harm her or to bring her into their group,” Lilith said. “She is a sweet child and a hard worker. I fear that they wish to harm her. Somehow, she is connected to all this. His grandmother knew it, I know it, and I believe Jarek knows it.”
“She is,” Agatha said softly. Everyone turned toward her with blank faces. “I . . . I had a dream about that extremely terrible thought just last night.”
“Oh my,” Lilith said under her breath as she placed a hand on Agatha’s knee. “Do tell, please.”
“I didn’t think much of it. I assumed it was just a dream triggered by the events of last night. But now I am not so sure. I have been having a repeat vision of that very dream just sitting here. Oh, what is that called when you believe you have seen something before it happens?”
“A premonition,” Marcus said, much to Jarek’s surprise.
“The dream is a bit spotty, but I remember sitting in this same lobby having a conversation similar to this. Except someone was talking about the room in that mine and that it was attempting to replicate . . . I am not certain, but something about a vessel, a brass vessel. Then Ulrika came into the lobby in a panic about her grandmother taken seriously ill, I believe. Somehow in the dream, though, I knew that it wasn’t just her grandmother in danger; she herself was in danger too. She was surrounded by darkness. Something evil was trying to take her, to use her . . .” Her voice drifted off.
“And then what?” Marcus asked.
“Nothing. That was it. I woke up. I am so sorry. Does that make any sense?”
“Surprisingly, that makes perfect sense to me,” Jarek said with a modest smile. “It is not good news, but that helps to clear up a few things I was questioning. If it turns out to be true, she is in great danger.”
“What do you mean? Can you please explain yourself,” Marcus blurted out, clearly annoyed at his own lack of understanding.
“Please, do not be rash, Marcus. I will clarify . . . in time. I need to be cautious that I am not simply throwing accusations out there.” Jarek’s eyes drifted to each of the people sitting there while he stood next to them. Lilith sat leaning forward a bit, her old coal-colored dress still wet at the hem from the snow. Marcus’s face clearly showed continued confusion and impatience—cheeks flushed and eyes bright and wide. Agatha’s eyes narrowed in, undoubtedly deep in her own thoughts. I can’t tell them everything yet, I have to be sure. “I don’t mean to be secretive. I promise. I am trying to fully piece together everything I have learned to confirm.” Everyone sat just staring at Jarek. He shifted his stance. “We need to call Ulrika. I think she might be the best person to help me validate my thoughts . . .”
“What are you waiting for?” Marcus asked, barely missing Lilith’s shoulder while throwing both his hands up.
“Because if what I think is going on, and how she fits into this puzzle, is true, it . . .” Jarek swallowed the lump in his throat. “It is going to cause her a lot of pain, I fear. And I don’t wish that upon anyone.”
“Sometimes, we must face the pains of life in order to begin the healing process of the injury we didn’t even know was there,” Lilith said, with Agatha nodding her head in agreement.
Jarek looked around the room, throwing his head back to make the emotion in his eyes roll back behind the lids. “Very well. I will call her.”
“Why, I don’t think that will be necessary,” Agatha said as she slowly stood up from her chair while pointing toward the front window of the hotel.
At that very moment, Ulrika was walking past the window in the dim light from the streetlamps. Her hands were buried in the pockets of her long coat. As she pulled open the door to the hotel, she looked up at the four people now standing in the lobby staring back at her. Her face was as rosy as a fresh bloom and her eyes completely bloodshot from tears. Marcus moved toward her before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Agatha clutched Ulrika’s hand in her own.
“My child, what . . .” Agatha paused, turned back to Jarek, and nodded. “What is wrong?”
Agatha’s dream . . . damn it. It all fits. Jarek remained motionless as he processed the information stampeding through his brain like a herd of buffalo.
Sniffing and trying to clear her throat, Ulrika finally opened her mouth. “It’s . . . it’s my grandmother.” Marcus tightened his grip on her shoulder. She was shaking as she stood there. “She isn’t going to make it through the night, I fear.”
“Oh child, I am so sorry. What . . . what can we do?” Agatha asked in a deeply sympathetic tone.
Jarek moved up to Ulrika, his eyes brilliant from the thoughts in his head. His intensity clearly drew Ulrika’s eyes up to his as he took her hand from Agatha. “Where is your grandmother now? Is she at your house?”
Ulrika swallowed loudly as she continued to choke back her feelings. “No . . . no, I just helped Mother bring her to Dr. Anderson’s home.”
Jarek gripped her hand a little harder. “Is Dr. Anderson someone you can trust?”
Ulrika nodded her head a little as both Marcus and Agatha’s eyes darted to Jarek.
“Good,” he said as he looked over his shoulder. “Lilith, do you know this doctor?”
“Of course, Jarek. It is a fairly small community.”
“Do you know where he lives?” he said in a deeper than usual voice.
“Yes, I believe he is right off of Pine Street, near Deadwood Creek.”
“Yes, that’s the house,” Ulrika said softly before letting out a sob.
“Lilith, please go there. Let the doctor know that her grandmother is suffering from mercury poisoning. It is likely advanced, as it’s been a slow poisoning for the past twenty-eight years.”
“Understood, I will go there now,” Lilith said plainly, not asking another question. She noticeably had full faith in Jarek’s words.
“How . . . how would you know that?” Ulrika said as Marcus stood beside her looking at Jarek sternly.
“Just trust me on this for the time being,” he said, trying to reassure the young woman still completely emotionally drained. “Ulrika, is your mother there with her?”
“Uh . . . um, no. She said she was going to go find my father at his shop.”
Jarek let go of Ulrika’s hand and moved his hands to Lilith as she walked by him on her way out. “Lilith, listen to me. Please be careful. Her grandmother needs you there at this time.” He leaned in close, as if giving Lilith a small hug. He got close to her ear and whispered something to her so softly that the other three could not hear.
“Be safe, Jarek,” she whispered back. “You do what you have to do. It’s okay to have help. You do not have to do everything alone.” The elderly woman left the lobby leaving her small footprints in the scarlet carpet, closing the door softly behind her. She soon disappeared down the street.
Marcus let go of his embrace of Ulrika and took a step toward Jarek. “I need you to be open with me, Jarek. Enough of these games. Something dangerous is happening in this town, and we need to work together to stop it.”
Agatha grabbed Jarek’s hand. “I may just be an old woman, but you need to let us help you.”
“Jarek, please,” Marcus bagged. “Tell us what you know.”
He drew a deep breath as the three of them stared at him. “Okay, if you insist. But Ulrika, you may want to sit down. All of you may want to sit down.”
Everyone was just taking their first steps back toward the chairs when they all froze from the sound of the office door opening. Mr. Clark came out again. He stopped as soon as he saw all four of them. “Ulrika, are you all right, my dear?” he asked as he moved swiftly over to her. “What is wrong?”
“Oh, Mr. Clark,” she began to say as she embraced him for a moment. She let go and pulled back a bit. “It’s Grandmother. Dr. Anderson doesn’t think she will make it through the night.”
“Oh my. I am so sorry to hear that. She’s such a wonderful person. I know that you are so very close with her.”
“Yes, closer to her than my own parents,” she said, taking a heavy breath, visibly trying to hold back more sobbing.
“I know, I know,” Mr. Clark said, seeming genuinely sad for her.
Jarek suddenly hunched over as a deep, sharp pain radiated through his stomach. “Gah,” he let out from the pain as he placed his hands on his knees.
Marcus placed his hand on Jarek’s back. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.
Jarek heard the question but couldn’t respond. The atmosphere in the room began to grow incredibly heavy. The air was somehow hard to breathe. It felt as though his lungs were inhaling smoke from a fire. They burned as he tried to breathe in the oxygen around him. Jarek looked up to see the room growing darker. A blackness began to creep down the walls and the windows, drowning out the light within the room. The darkness crept along slowly, twisting and turning over every surface. An intense pressure began to compress on his body. It felt as if a thousand hands were pushing against every surface of his body. As panic swept over him, a familiar whisper began to echo in his head. You’re right. I’m stronger than this.
Jarek began to focus his mind. He needed to maintain his awareness of the room. The pressure grew. He tilted his head, hands still on his knees. He stared directly at the front door of the hotel. The windows appeared to be black as night, but the door grew clearer as he focused intently on the wooden entrance. The knob turned slowly. As the door opened, a figure emerged from outside. It took a step inside. Jarek could see another figure beyond it stepping into the hotel.
Jarek took all his energy boiling within him. His lungs expanded as he stood up straight. His vision grew clearer once more. The closest figure became recognizable. It was the man that Jarek had brushed shoulders with upstairs on his first day in this same hotel. The chill that had run through Jarek’s body that moment a few days ago ran through his body once again. His eyes focused on the shape beyond the man to see Rose standing there. Her dark smile spread across her cold face. Everyone remained silent. Jarek knew they didn’t see the darkness like he did, but he assumed the dark energy alone led them to realize this was not a friend of theirs.
Mr. Clark took one step closer toward the man. He cleared his throat loudly. “Ahem, I thought you had left. I mean . . . I thought I made it clear that I wanted you to leave. You may have been a friend of my brother, but you certainly are no friend of mine, Viktor.”
Chapter 14
Reunited
January 1, 1925, 9:55 p.m.
The Terry Hotel usually had a comforting feel to it for any guest that walked through its doors. The lavish scarlet carpet, lush velvet high-back chairs in the sitting area, an ornate crystal chandler hanging from the ceiling—all combined, it immediately distinguished the hotel as a place of class. The massive portraits and wall sconces that decorated the walls and the rich wood registration desk made everyone feel welcome.
However, at this moment nobody could appreciate the pleasant and sophisticated feel of the hotel. Seven people stood in the lobby of the establishment. Seven people stood in complete silence as they all just looked at each other. Seven pairs of eyes shifting back and forth. Ulrika still could be seen with dried tears on her face, Marcus flushed with confusion and irritation, Agatha as still as a statue, Mr. Clark noticeably filled with anger, and Jarek still trying to stand upright from the pain radiating through his stomach. Near the door, Rose continued to stand with no expression except for her grin. But in front of her stood the man named Viktor. Viktor Eideen. Though Jarek didn’t know him, he had heard of him from Lilith, and he had brushed shoulders with him a few days earlier. The argument between him and Mr. Clark that Jarek had heard now made sense as well. Viktor clearly was no friend of Mr. Clark’s. After what felt like hours but was only a few seconds, the silence ended.
“Now, now, Jacob,” Viktor said, directed at Mr. Clark. “That is no way to greet me. I admit we parted on poor terms, but you still should be cordial.”
“I have no reason to be cordial with you,” Mr. Clark shot back. “I let you stay here one night and then told you to leave and never come back. It’s because of you that my brother is dead.”
“Oh please, your brother was nothing more than a wimp of a man who only relied on booze to get through the day.”
“Yes, that may be true. But you took advantage of that. I never knew what unlawful things you made him do. But I do know with a clear mind that whatever it was you made him do led to him killing himself. You took my only family from me, Viktor, and the law might not be able to do anything about it, but I certainly can tell you to get the hell out!”
“This hotel may no longer belong to your brother, and I will leave . . . after I have a talk with my young friend here,” Viktor said, nodding toward Jarek.
Jarek’s eyes opened wide, surprised by the directness of this man. “I . . . I don’t believe we have met,” he said, attempting to portray confidence.
“No, not formally. But I believe it is time that we change that. Jacob, may I please sit with this young man in your eatery so that I may have a private conversation?”
Mr. Clark looked at Jarek with narrowed eyes. “I . . . I mean if Mr. Videni wishes to speak with the likes of you, I can allow that. But just for a while. The night isn’t getting any younger.”
“No, it certainly isn’t,” Viktor responded. His deep voice made Jarek’s stomach twist once more. “You should probably get back to your office work, Jacob.”
To Jarek’s surprise, Mr. Clark simply nodded and returned to his office. The door latched behind him without him saying another word.
“Please, right this way,” Victor said as he slowly walked past everyone on his way into the restaurant. His long black wool coat dragged along the carpet making a soft, wispy sound.
Rose’s feet remained motionless as she swung her left arm, gesturing toward where Viktor had just passed. “Well, don’t keep him waiting. All of you, follow him.”
Knowing these two had the advantage, and that he needed answers to his questions, Jarek did as he was told. As he walked into the eatery, the other three followed close in tow. Jarek’s heart pounded as he walked across the wooden floorboards. Viktor was already seated in one of the chairs off to the side. He reached over and patted the arm of the chair next to him, inviting Jarek to sit there. As Jarek sank into the brown leather, he looked back at his three friends following him. All of them looked confused, mixed with a hint of worry.
“Please sit, all of you,” Rose said as she moved a chair for herself from one of the tables. Marcus pulled out a chair for Ulrika and Agatha before taking one for himself. As everyone sat, no words were exchanged, only expressions.
“First things first. All of you, let me introduce myself. I am Viktor Eideen. It is a pleasure to meet you all. Agatha, I have seen you here before, and I am sure you know who I am. Ulrika, the same for you. Now you, sir, I am not familiar with, but just within these few moments I have gathered that you are an official from the federal government and not from here.”
Marcus’s face went pale.
“Hmmm. There is something else about you, young man. Even though you just met, you clearly care for this young woman,” Viktor continued as he motioned with his hand at Ulrika. “But something else about you . . .” He turned toward Jarek. “Ah, you haven’t told him, um, what’s your name?” he asked, looking back at the confused federal marshal.
“Marcus,” he replied.
“I guess you haven’t told Marcus yet, have you?”
Marcus’s still pale face looked over at Jarek. “Told me what?”
“I guess the Videni family still loves their secrets,” Viktor said. “They like to keep everything close until it only benefits them, I’m afraid.” He flashed a dark, cruel smile at Jarek. “I think I will let Jarek share with you that he has known you for several years now.” He let out a short, deep laugh.
Marcus’s face regained color from the blood rushing to his cheeks.
“How . . . how do you . . .” Jarek began to ask Viktor.
“I comprehend so much more than you can even begin to grasp, boy. And yes, I even know about your dirty secrets from the war. The amount of death you’re responsible for. Just remember, keeping a secret like that can, well, it can make things a bit muddy.”
Jarek’s pounding heart felt like it was going to burst right out of his chest. His blood was boiling from being caught off guard, combined with the shame of what he did, and what he didn’t do, on the battlefield. “If it’s secrets you hate so much, then, Viktor, please elaborate and explain how you know me.”
“Ah, yes. I suppose it isn’t very fair of me to bombard the room with everything I know without explaining myself first.”
“Agreed,” Ulrika said defensively. “This man here has been nothing but kind to me since arriving. I find it hard to believe that he has any deep, dark secrets of his own.”
