Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

Alex Stein slid out from under the black satin sheets, catching the sweet scent of perfume from the side of the bed that Victoria Jones had vacated. It was still warm. The dark bedroom was illuminated by the cold moonbeams as they bounced off the calm sea below, allowing him to locate his robe with ease. Pulling on his red silk cloak, Alex lifted the golden Scaramouch off its stand in the closet and headed towards the library.

Tracing his finger down the spine of a worn book, he waited impatiently as the bookshelf glided open revealing a dank stairwell. Stepping over the threshold, the door closed with a gentle click behind him. The familiar briny smell of the sea caught his nostrils as he descended the rugged stone steps to the bowels of the cliff. Detecting his approach the light sensors guided his path, expelling a dim orange light which extinguished again as he passed. In truth, he would have been quite capable of making the journey unaided, but it would not be long until dawn, so the light helped to speed proceedings.

Tonight Alex would be Grotto Master, a role that his father had been preparing him for all his life. A rush of electricity weaved its way through his body and he began to mentally ready himself for the task ahead. Almost everything had gone to plan, which pleased him, but they had failed to secure the ring and the Cube. Nonetheless the Club had plenty to celebrate tonight, he mused, as he boarded the small hydro-electric rail carriage that waited at the bottom of the stairs.

Alex welcomed the fact that the next part of his journey would be taken in complete darkness. It gave him time to focus his thoughts. His blood-red cloak flailed out behind him as the small craft gathered speed, racing now through the blackened subterranean passageway. This was Alex’s pièce de résistance. After all, it had been his idea to incorporate a means of access to the temple from their mansion. It had taken almost two years to complete, but it proved to be invaluable. The hidden transport system allowed members of the Club to move to and from the temple without detection.

Suddenly his carriage began to slow down; he was almost there. As he opened his eyes again he could see a faint red light up ahead, and the entrance to the lift shaft. Alex pulled on his mask as the craft came to a halt. It was a vital prop in tonight’s little get-together.

He entered the lift, pulling the iron cage closed and ascended towards the temple. As the lift climbed up the cliff, he could hear the baritone chants of his fellow Club members growing louder and louder against the hysterical soprano screams of a woman. There was no better sound in the world. It was quite a symphony, smiled Alex to himself. Flicking up his hood, Alex emerged dramatically from behind a large granite wall at the top of the make-shift altar. The chanting immediately stopped. The only sounds now were the helpless sobs of the pretty blonde who lay sprawled out on the large stone altar. Her pale limbs were stretched out like a star with a black candle burning at each point of her extended body. Victoria Jones’s eyes danced frantically around the sea of black robes and the ghostly white masks, whose long menacing beaks were blind to her terror. Alex cocked his head, studying the fear and confusion in her eyes as she writhed against an unseen restraint. No ties or chains secured Victoria Jones to the table yet she could not move.

Calling order, Alex Stein addressed the Hell Fire Club. ‘Brothers,’ he announced in a deep guttural voice, unfamiliar even to him. ‘We are gathered here tonight in the presence of our Great God – the one true bringer of light – to celebrate the extermination of our deadly foe. We of the left-hand path know the true nature of this universe and the human condition, and so we renounce the fallacy of a divine architect, this creator and saviour of humanity. We, the brethren of the Hell Fire Club, are gods of our own fate and thus together we will profess our faith.’ A cacophony of sound saturated the small chamber as each faceless man added his voice to the prayer.

‘I proclaim the Great God as my one and only God. I promise to recognise and honour him in all things, desiring in return his manifold assistance in the true success of my dark endeavours.’

Alex held up his right hand, revealing a slender silver knife. Each man followed his lead as he cut a small incision across the palm of his left hand, allowing the warm droplets of blood to fall into a small glass made out of finely cut crystal. Silently the men took their positions around their sacrifice, making room for Alex at the head of the stone table. Alex’s cold eyes considered Victoria Jones. Her red dress was torn at the sides and a steady stream of black tears traced down her once perfect face. The passion and pleasure that they had shared just hours ago had evaporated. He had feasted on the carnal pleasures that Victoria Jones’s beautiful body offered but now he meant to feast on her soul. She meant nothing to him. She was only ever a pawn in his game, but, as Alex traced his eyes along her slender body, he understood that she would make a worthy sacrifice.

Alex raised his hand again, giving the command for silence and obedience. Victoria Jones’s breathless sobs were the only sound that punctured the eerie quiet. Closing his eyes, Alex focused on his offering, he could hear it, he could taste the fear that was coursing through every particle of Victoria Jones’s perfect body. Meditating, he began to feed off this raw life force. He could feel the pure adrenaline coursing through his veins as he spoke. ‘Great Lord, you have bestowed wondrous fortune on us tonight and thus we offer you this sacrifice in return.’ A deafening shriek pierced the room. Crying desperately, Victoria Jones begged the faceless strangers for her life.

‘No, no please let me go! Let me go! Oh God, please, please!’

With a mocking sneer, Alex Stein bent in close and whispered into her ear. ‘Your God can’t save you now, Victoria!’ Her name rolled off his tongue like silk. For the first time Victoria Jones fell still, sheer horror rendering her mute. Alex could see confusion mingle with disbelief, as she struggled to find her voice. He slipped off his mask to confirm her worst fears, smiling as her hysteria reached fever pitch. Alex lifted his knife again and carved a single line down the inside of the girl’s outstretched arm, watching hungrily as her blood flowed into the thirteen deep crevices etched into the table. Each of the men collected Victoria’s Jones’s warm blood into their chalices that sat along the edges of the table. Raising their offering, Alex cast the spell, ‘Power without be whole and true, as we drink this cup let her soul ensue.’ The familiar words sounded wrong as they rolled off his novice tongue. For a second Alex wondered if they would be as powerful pouring from his mouth as they had been the countless times his father had spoken them. In seconds Alex got his answer. Each cup began to glow a pale blue as the life-rich blood and magick pirouetted and fused in a deathly dance. The dying girl’s life force coursed through Alex’s body like wild-fire as he downed the contents of his chalice.

This was the ultimate high for him. He had never taken drugs and didn’t drink alcohol. To him his body was the ultimate temple and he refused to pollute it with mere chemicals. But this, the fear-rich blood, fused with his dark magick, was the true organic high. He could feel his own strength and magick growing. He was becoming stronger.

Alex glanced down at the limp lifeless body of Victoria Jones, her glazed eyes confirming that the last vestiges of life were now fully extinguished. With dawn fast approaching he ordered his men to start the cleansing ritual before leaving for the mansion. His father was due back later today and would be expecting a full debriefing.