Convocation, page 15
“People can surprise you,” Jarek muttered under his breath.
“Let’s just say I have been aware of you for a very long time,” Viktor said. “I have known your grandmother even longer. Now that is a woman filled with secrets. We used to be in the same circle, you see. One day, though, I found a small offshoot of our main circle of, uh, practitioners. These wonderful people exposed me to so much more understanding of our world and the world on the other side of the veil. Sure, some of what is done is outside of what is considered traditional, but it works. I see it firsthand; I practice it firsthand.”
“My grandmother would never take part in the barbaric practices that you do. I too have seen the atrocities of which you speak,” Jarek fired back.
“Oh please, come down off that high horse, Jarek. A little human blood spilled is nothing when it comes to the wonders I have seen. Besides, I thought you didn’t mind when someone died.” His dark eyes pierced Jarek’s soul when he made the statement.
“But you are correct, Leona did not agree with what I did. We parted ways after that. But much to my surprise, she kept a watchful eye on me and seemed to block nearly every action I took like a well-trained chess player. I thought I had figured her out and was able to avoid her continuous pestering. So, when a new goal laid itself before me, something of a quest, I couldn’t turn it down. But when I was ready to start this quest, she once again cut me off.”
Jarek could tell that Viktor’s energy was getting jumbled. He was clearly angry with Leona. This could prove to be useful in the future.
“She somehow found me and took the vessel from me before I had the chance—” He cut himself off. “But then that woman somehow escaped my sight. She took what belonged to me and vanished with it. And that, young man, is where you come into the story. I have tried for years to uncover where she hid it. I know you can help with this. Leona might be in hiding from the world, but I can tell she isn’t hiding from you.”
“I would never help you. Besides I don’t even know what this vessel is.”
“Oh, don’t play with us, boy,” Rose said. “I know you took the book from Sarah’s library.”
“Rose, please,” Viktor said. “Just because he took the book, it doesn’t mean he’s even bothered to expand his knowledge.”
“You mean the book that’s written in Latin? I can’t even read it,” Jarek said pointedly, trying to hide the fact he had some previous knowledge of the book but not let on that he didn’t remember it all.
“Exactly,” Viktor said. “You haven’t taken the time to educate yourself on the amazing resource right in front of you. But don’t worry, that is why I am here. Maybe we can help each other.”
“I doubt that very much,” Jarek said. “I know you are the ones responsible for that den of horror out there, and I know it was because of you that Martin is dead.”
“Oh my,” Agatha said softly.
Viktor and Rose both laughed at the same time, making Jarek shudder a bit.
“I don’t find any of those accusations funny,” Marcus said.
“Neither do I,” Ulrika said.
Viktor resituated himself in the chair. “Let me start at the beginning; that might help to clear some of this up. Clearly Leona never thought it was important enough to share with you any of this information before going into hiding. The vessel is an ancient tool. When it is wielded correctly, it can bring people unspeakable power. It is the tool that King Solomon used to defeat his enemies and rule the nation of Israel with. This vessel is made of brass, and the inscriptions upon it help to wield unimaginable abilities.”
“Dark power,” Jarek interrupted.
Viktor’s eyes grew black as they narrowed on Jarek. “This power can help people understand all things: past, present, and future. It can make chance be in your favor. It can bring you riches. You think you might be gifted, Jarek, but your abilities are a single drop of water in an ocean of abilities. It is said that this vessel is able to heal the ill, and even bring those who have died back to the land of the living. Now, does that sound like dark power to you?”
“You aren’t sharing the entire story,” Jarek countered. “Why would you commit such monstrosities like murdering Martin, conjuring demons, sacrificing innocent women? Why, then . . . why would you have to do that if it wasn’t for evil intentions?” Jarek was beginning to let his emotions show in his eyes as he thought back on so many lives lost.
“Of all people, Jarek, I thought you might be the one to understand the ugliness of war. Sometimes blood must be shed for the good of the world. A few lives lost to bring the power of the other side into our world is a small price to pay.”
“I still don’t believe you. You let her . . .” Jarek paused as he stared at Rose in her chair. “You let that woman manipulate me, manipulate the O’Connell family, and for what? To spill a little more blood?” He glared at Rose. “You probably were the one to convince Annie to conjure that demon and bind your son to the home. Hell, you probably helped your son hang himself. All part of your plan to what? Feel more powerful?”
“You do not know of what you speak,” Rose responded in a low voice, shaken by his statement. Her eyes glossed over.
“Come now, Rose, don’t let his comments egg you on,” Viktor said. “Jarek, you are a bit right about what you say. I met Rose a little over eighteen years ago. I shared with her all the many wonderful things I have learned. She became with child, and I initially had planned to stay with her, but we knew for the good of everything, I must move on with my mission. So I felt good leaving when I knew she was in the care of the O’Connell family. But you are wrong—she did not kill Samuel. He was a boy with so much potential, fairly similar to yourself, in fact. He simply couldn’t take the pressures of life and being different in his own abilities and being different in who he found comfort in. He chose to take his own life. It just happened to present an option for us. Rose simply helped to instruct Annie in our ways. This allowed her to summon Samuel’s spirit to bind him so that she may conjure Astaroth. This would allow Annie to expand her own abilities at the same time and help to ignite your own. Sadly, the act did require a blood sacrifice, and Sarah was that sacrifice.
“Rose finds comfort in the fact that Samuel did not have to suffer for long. Remember, it was her love for her own son that helped you to send Astaroth back. Besides, by her helping, it assisted in you awakening your own natural-born abilities. Rose will see Samuel again. If we can find that vessel, it will not have been in vain.”
Jarek wasn’t believing the majority of the words leaving Viktor’s mouth. He knew he was twisted and lost in his thinking. “Martin? He was just for fun? And where is Annie now? She may not have been the one to cut out Sarah’s heart, but she may have well been.”
“Martin was . . . well, he needed to be silenced,” Rose said. She tilted her head back as she let a smirk creep over the corner of her mouth. Viktor shot a glare at her, and she went back to her stern, cold, expressionless face.
“Annie is somewhere safe too. You may not agree with our methods, but these methods are what we need to do if we wish to make a difference in this world. This is where I ask you to join us, Jarek.” Viktor turned his head. “I have watched you from afar for so long. You have fantastic gifts. Different gifts, but fantastic gifts. Actually, everyone in this room has gifts. We are all born with a connection to the other side of the veil.”
“I . . . I am not gifted,” Ulrika said. “I am nothing special.”
“Oh, my dear girl, you are very special.” Viktor stood up from his chair before kneeling in front of her. He brushed some stray hairs away from her face. Jarek could see Marcus using all of his own discipline to not slug Viktor for touching Ulrika. “Tell me, do you have dreams that come to pass? When you enter a new place, does it feel like you have been there before?”
“Sometimes, but that’s not special. Everyone has that happen.”
“Yes, true. But you have not achieved your full potential yet. I know that you have the ability of prescience. You, my sweet girl, are able to see into the past as well. You have the gift of full sight.”
“Nevertheless, we will not join you,” Jarek said, cutting off Viktor’s attempts of manipulation. “You practice the dark arts using blood. This is not the way of the world. Not what nature intended. I may be young in my own abilities, but I see that some things from beyond the veil need to stay there.”
“You do not know of what you speak,” Viktor said as he stood. “This power is older than Earth itself. You’d be a fool to pass on such an opportunity.”
“Then call me a fool,” Jarek responded while looking deep into Viktor’s eyes. “I do have one more question, though. Tell me, how is it that you control the killer of the women? I assume you used to have Mr. Clark’s brother help in that scheme of yours. But you also have another man helping you now. And I can tell you are controlling him. I don’t believe it is of his own free will.”
“What are you saying, Jarek?” Marcus said, raising his voice. “Do you know who the killer is?”
“I’m so sorry, Marcus, but yes, I believe I know who it is. I didn’t want to tell you this way. I will explain it all to you.” Jarek’s eyes ached from the emotions approaching the surface as he tried to apologize to his friend beside him. “But first, Viktor, I want to know.”
Viktor started to laugh, and Rose joined in. “Oh Jarek,” she said, “we have many friends that you are not aware of. I doubt you know who it is. And besides, I told you, these powers are far beyond your own understanding.”
“It’s through possession,” Jarek blurted out, seeming to catch them both by surprise. “I know that you are using a demon to control him. The markings on the firepit down there, that’s what gave it away. You are using demons to control, to spy, and to help you in any vile way you can think of.” His confidence was building as he spoke. Inside himself, he felt the ember within him growing, sparking, and ready to ignite once more. He stood up tall, directly in front of Viktor. Everyone else stood as well, as if a fistfight was about to ensue. “But I don’t think you really do have control of them. You think they are your pawns to do your bidding, but you have it wrong. You are their pawn doing their dirty work.”
Viktor’s eyes were as black as a moonless night. Even the whites of his eyes seemed to blacken. The atmosphere in the room began to feel damp and heavy, like a fog rolling in. The lights in the room flickered repeatedly as the few oil lamps on the tables snuffed out. Viktor’s mouth started to twist into an unnatural downward smile. Rose let out a laugh. A shadow seeped across the floor.
“Jarek, what is happening?” Ulrika let out, voice shaking.
“Oh my God,” Agatha said as the dark shadow crept below their feet. It inched closer in from all directions directly toward Viktor. As it moved, a hum from the dark energy pulsated throughout the entire building.
“Boy, you have so much to learn. How dare you question me,” Viktor said.
Jarek watched his friends in the room. He could tell they were having difficulty breathing. The hum from the energy’s vibrations was beginning to make Jarek’s own ears hurt. A low howling sound like a wind joined in on the droning noise. The shadow grew larger as it created a figure directly behind Viktor.
“Jarek, you better do something,” Marcus said.
Jarek repositioned his stance. He did not know which vile demon was about to form completely, but he knew he needed to at least try to figure it out. He now wished he had studied Sarah’s book more. Why didn’t I pay better attention in school when they taught Latin, or at least remember what it said when I read it all those years ago? He smiled a bit at the thought.
“I don’t think you should be smiling. This is not a creature to smile at,” Viktor said.
Jarek gave him a wink. “I see you yourself are smiling. That is because you think you are in control. But Viktor, I smile because I know you are not the one in control.”
Viktor’s face went blank, his smile melting away.
All of a sudden, a loud commotion in the lobby startled everyone. The lights in the room popped back on and the shadow was gone, along with the humming. The expression on Viktor’s face was filled with anger. Rose let out a large huff. Agatha, Marcus, Ulrika, and Jarek all turned toward the lobby to see a young man standing in the archway to the restaurant. Directly behind him were two sheriff deputies.
“Is there a problem in here?” one of the deputies said, clearly trying to sound tougher in voice than what his small frame presented. “This young man said he heard a lot of noise coming from here.”
“Everything is all right, Deputy,” Jarek said confidently. “These two were just about to leave for the night.” He turned back toward Viktor and Rose. “Isn’t that right?”
Viktor cleared his throat, followed by a loud sigh. “Yes, Deputy, there is nothing happening here tonight. Come on, Rose, let’s retire for the evening and leave these people to discuss their futures.” The two of them slowly eyed all four of the others, faces filled with anger. As they walked past them, Viktor paused and whispered directly into Jarek’s ear. Then he took a step away from Jarek and let out a small chuckle. “And to be a good sport, I will call a truce for twenty-four hours. For all of you.” They walked in silence to the front door, but when they passed the deputies, Jarek saw Rose pause and stare at the young man, and he could hear Viktor say, “Have a pleasant evening, gentlemen.”
“You folks all okay?” the other deputy asked. He was much larger than the first one, with a deeper voice.
Jarek smiled to himself from the contrast. “Yes, we are going to be just fine.”
“Have yourselves a good night, then,” the small one said before they left the hotel.
“Hamish!” Jarek exclaimed as he rushed over to the young man standing in the archway with a big smile on his face. “What on earth are you doing here?” he asked as he gave him a hug.
“I am so glad I found you!” Hamish responded before dropping his arms to his side. “I had to come, Jarek. Something terrible has happened! Mr. O’Connell—”
“I know, I know,” Jarek said quickly, cutting him off. “I saw it in the newspaper. I couldn’t believe it.” He reached up and gave Hamish’s shoulder a squeeze. “But that doesn’t answer why you are here.”
“Ahem, do we deserve an introduction?” Marcus asked theatrically.
“I am so sorry,” Jarek replied, still excited. “Marcus Livingston, this is—”
“Hamish Windsor, sir. Pleasure to meet you,” he said as he walked over to Marcus and shook his hand. He slicked back the loose strands of hair on his face before looking at the ladies in the room.
“This is Agatha. She works here in the hotel,” Jarek explained.
“It is a pleasure, young man,” she said.
Hamish nodded in her direction, “Pleasure, ma’am.”
“And this is Ulrika. She too works here in the hotel,” Jarek said.
“It is a pleasure to meet all of you,” Hamish responded.
“Hamish is from Minnesota. He is . . . was a friend of the O’Connell family. Because of him I was able to gather more clues to help solve Sarah’s murder, actually,” Jarek said with a proud smile. “But now, I ask again. What on earth brought you to Deadwood, and how did you find me?”
“Well, it was Christmas evening. While I was working at the restaurant in SPUD.”
“That’s the Saint Paul Union Depot. The big train station in downtown Saint Paul,” Jarek said to the others.
“Yeah. So I was working and I saw Ms. Smith and that other fellow come in. Something about the two of them didn’t seem right to me. Then I heard them say something about Annie, which of course piqued my interest. I can be quite the eavesdropper in the restaurant when I need to be.”
“Oh, I am the same way here,” Ulrika said, laughing. It was the first time Jarek saw her smile since she came here tonight.
“It is so easy to do. Plus, it helps keep me entertained while serving people,” Hamish said as he looked at Ulrika for validation. “Anyway, I heard them talking about coming out to Deadwood to finally find ‘it,’ whatever ‘it’ is, and to take care of ‘that foolish boy.’ I just knew something was off. Well, it was the next day when word broke that a worker had found Martin’s body. And that both Annie and Rose were missing. There was no mention of you, so I figured you had already left. I thought about it and . . . well . . .” Hamish paused as if he was embarrassed to say something.
“Go on, child,” Agatha said.
“Um, I assumed the ‘foolish boy’ they were talking about was you, Jarek.”
Marcus immediately started to laugh, soon followed by the others.
“I don’t find that very amusing,” Jarek said, trying to maintain a straight face, but he did find it funny too.
“So I made up some cockamamie story for my parents and I headed here to Deadwood. I got here early this morning. It was by chance that I saw Ms. Smith walking here with that man, and so I tailed them. I peered through the window and saw that it wasn’t a friendly visit, so I ran over to some deputies outside the building just up the street and convinced them to come over with me.”
“Well, Hamish, I cannot thank you enough,” Jarek said.
“Yeah, I think you saved our skin, Mac,” Marcus said as he patted Hamish’s shoulder.
“Glad to have helped. I never really knew Ms. Smith, but somethin’ about her just doesn’t sit right in my stomach,” Hamish said.
“That feeling is for good reason. She isn’t one to be trusted, nor to trifle with on your own. She is extremely dangerous,” Jarek said to warn the young man.
“Not to be rude, but can we talk about what just happened moments ago here?” Ulrika asked. “And what did that man whisper to you, Jarek?” She used her hands to wipe down the front of her jacket. Snow on the wool from when she had come in from outside had melted during the whole ordeal.
“Yes, I’m sorry. I was just excited to be reunited with Hamish. You see, I had asked Rose to watch after him before I had left. Sadly, and thankfully, that never came to pass,” Jarek said as he reached over and put a hand on Hamish’s shoulder once again, trying to reassure him that he was safe. “What you all just experienced was Viktor beginning to conjure a demon.”
