“How did you find this?” I peered into the dark passageway.
She only smirked in reply and stepped into the shadows.
7
In the Office of Samuel Mathers
With a curse, I followed, closing the bookcase behind us. The door sealed and left the passageway utterly silent, not unlike the caves I had explored in Austria. We followed the narrow corridor as it curved back and around, only wide enough for us to move single file. Elaine produced a candle and lit it. The flickering light combined with my soul flame and made my eyes hurt, so I quenched the former. After some time, we came to a small spiral staircase winding down. Wary of traps, we kept our progress slow as we descended.
Do you know what this Shadow Council is? I asked Vex.
A group of individuals with incredible talent and skill who endeavor to monitor the supernatural world.
Why have I never heard of them before?
Because secrecy is one of their greatest weapons. They are also the last line of defense against egregious mystical threats, and heretofore, we have not faced anything serious enough to have crossed paths.
I burned with curiosity regarding this elite group of protectors. But no matter how much I needled him for information, Vex revealed nothing more. I resolved to get my answers from Elaine instead.
We reached the bottom of the stair without incident. Before us stood another crimson door, and Elaine knelt and probed the lock with a set of picks, explaining the tell-tale scratches on the lock to Mathers’s front door.
“I can open if faster, you know,” I said, beginning to gather will.
“I’m sure, but better not to leave any magical traces,” she replied.
A fair point. I let my gathered will dissolve.
“Are you a member of this Shadow Council?” I asked while she worked. She didn’t reply. “You don’t have to tell me your life story, but I would like to know something about the woman I’m investigating with.”
She gave a long-suffering sigh and said, “Fine. If you must know, I’m not a member.”
“So, you work for them, then.”
Her hands stilled for a moment. “Not…officially.”
Well, that just raised all kinds of other questions. Before I could ask any, I heard a click, and Elaine swung the door open. “Mathers may have prepared something special for us inside,” she said, looking back at me. “Why don’t you go first?"
“How kind of you to offer,” I scoffed. Once again, she avoided giving me answers, but I’d learned something at least. I gathered a bit of will as I swept past her into the chamber. Nothing happened and I turned back to her. “Happy?”
“Quite,” she said, following me in.
We stood in the temple space I expected within the library. Lanterns hung throughout the room, and I lit them with a sweep of will. A small, ornate altar stood in the center, covered in a cloth emblazoned with a crest unknown to me, a multi-colored cross, pentacles and other symbols from Hebrew characters to zodiac signs.
Shelves of various artifacts lined the walls, including mirrors, rusty blades, and other such trinkets. They looked harmless enough, but I felt enchantments upon them when I probed with my will. Most were benign, but the enchantment upon one dilapidated music box rose up and snarled at me when my will brushed against it. I kindled a binding spell and wrapped it around the box, then tucked it into my pocket. Dangerous enchantments like this needed to be contained.
“I don’t like the look of this book,” Elaine said behind me. She stood in front of a small desk set against the far wall. A large leather-bound tome sat upon it, surrounded by all manner of papers.
“Step back” I hurried to join her.
She did, and I leaned over the book, flipping through a few pages. They felt odd under my fingers. Then, I recognized the texture.
Human skin.
Never a good sign.
I closed the book to examine the cover and my breath caught in my throat.
“Where did he get the Grand Grimoire?” I asked, quite a bit louder than intended.
“The what?”
“The Grand Grimoire, also known as the Red Dragon. Written in blood on human flesh, many believe these spells grant the caster’s every wish, though at the steepest prices.”
“What price?”
“The caster’s soul.” I glanced back at Elaine who looked more than a little concerned. I chuckled and said, “Nothing to fear. It’s a gruesome thing, but harmless.”
Unlike the book the Red Dragon sought to replicate, Vex said, his words deep and cold.
With a shiver, the office disappeared. Instead, torchlight flickered across the stone of a burial chamber. I tasted dust on my tongue and smelled stale air. My father stood in front of me, his clothes torn and skin bloodied. Insanity blazed in his eyes as he dropped his torch and charged me, his arms wrapped around a giant golden book. His snarl echoed off the wall as I gathered will.
“Crowley.”
The killing spell crackled upon the tips of my fingers.
“Aleister!”
I blinked.
The burial chamber disappeared.
Elaine stood in front of me, her hands on my shoulders. She glanced down at my hands and I followed her gaze. A black aura of magic played about my hands. My heart skipped a beat, and I let the spell dissipate as I shook her hands from me.
“What the hell was that all about?” she asked, stepping back.
“Just got caught up in my thoughts,” I said, shaking my head. She looked like she wanted to say something, I plucked the book from the desk and tucked it under one arm. “As I said, nothing to fear from this book, but better I confiscate it. Last I heard, the Vatican had the Red Dragon locked away. So how did it get here?”
“This letter says the Vatican loaned him the book for translation,” Miss Simpson said. I turned and found her, letter in hand. She held it out, and I took it from her, scanning the elegant script.
“Mathers befriended a bishop.” I set the letter back on the
