Conjuring Darkness (17 page)

Lexi’s eyes looked off into the room as she remembered something Kurt said once and she finished Ryan’s sentence. “If you can’t tell someone the truth, bedazzle them with bullshit.”

“Exactly right, Lexi.” Ryan looked at Jakub, while holding one fist out and pointing toward Abraham with his thumb. “Nice prop, having the old demonology Rabbi here to help make this all somehow seem more believable. Now, I want to know the
REAL
reason why this amulet is so damn important, and why there seems to be such interest in it. Don’t tell me it’s because it’s covered in pixie dust and dipped in unicorn shit or any other story. If you can’t tell me about a state secret regarding some truth serum or torture technique, I understand. Believe me, I know all about those little tricks, but save the spooky tales for your next campfire story time.”

Jakub took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his brow before he answered in very direct sentences. “Kurt had heard of my work here and with the Mossad. He became obsessed with being able to use the power that I had. He found out that I had an amulet that held a great power, and so he came to me. I told him what I told you, I left it in the desert on the Syrian and Turkish border.

According to the Mossad reports that I read later, after his visit with me, he went to the same place I told him I left it. While he was there, he found out a small group of archaeologists excavating the site at Gobekli Tepe. They had uncovered something very unique and powerful. He knew they had found the amulet. He also learned there were a few very dangerous people from the area who were intent on getting their hands on it. That was all the report said. I never knew if Kurt had found the amulet, until Kate came to visit me.”

“Why did Kate come here?” Ryan asked directly.

“Kate came to me because she found out that her husband had visited me years ago when he was searching for the amulet.”

“How long ago did Kurt visit with you?” Lexi asked.

“I don’t recall exactly when that was. I know it was before he met Kate because she made a comment to that effect.” Jakub answered.

“Okay, so he had the amulet before they got married. Please finish telling us about Kate’s visit with you.” Lexi said.

“Kate told me about how Kurt had passed away and she was trying to find answers about his life and death. While looking through his office she apparently came across the amulet. From there she began doing research on it because it seemed to fit into other studies she had done on Sumerian archaeology. She knew that Kurt had visited me and she wanted to find out why he came here. I never told her any of the things I told you today. I don’t think that she knew anything about the magic powers it held and I didn’t tell her either. I was very nervous when I found out that Kurt had indeed taken the amulet from its proper place. Of course, I asked her where it was and she told me it was locked away in her safe at home. That was about all she told me, other than she was on her way to the site at Gobekli Tepe to continue her research. After all, that is where Kurt found the amulet.”

Jakub rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Now I confess, once she had told me that she had the amulet at home, I knew it needed to be brought back. It needs to be buried away in the desert. It never should have been found. So I hypnotized her.”

“What?” Lexi asked incredulously. “Why would you do that to my sister?”

Ryan became more sarcastic. “Now Jakub, how did you pull that trick without the amulet? You’re not keeping your story straight.”

“Oh! No, No. Not with magic, just the traditional method. I did my best to get her to write a letter to Lexi to bring her here safely with the amulet. Under hypnosis I had her tell me all about the location of the amulet. I had her describe the contents of Kurt’s desk to me because I thought perhaps it was in there. She recalled that Kurt had an arrangement with a security agency to assist her in any emergency, and so I told her to include that in her letter to Lexi. I figured it would be good for Lexi to have whatever protection was available. Then she told me about the amulet and its actual location in the safe. I admit that it wasn’t a perfect letter, but I hoped that it was enough to get you to come and bring it here. Now, it must be returned to where it can never cause harm.”

“I knew it. You guys are all alike. You actually hypnotized Kate into writing a letter to bring us and the amulet here?”

“Yes, because it is tremendously important.”

“Did you know that we haven’t been able to reach Kate? Or that my intelligence observations tell us that she is likely involved with some dangerous people up there? You put her in danger, Jakub!”

“No. I tried to persuade Kate not to go. I couldn’t stop her even though I tried to persuade her while she was under hypnosis. She is very stubborn.”

“Yeah, that’s very true.” Lexi said. “And it runs in the family.”

“If I had proof all of this would be more convincing. So Kurt actually believed this thing has magic powers?” Ryan’s voiced dripped with disbelief as he pointed to the amulet.

“Yes, he believed it. He believed it because it’s true.” Jakub answered.

Ryan leaned down and slapped the palms of his hands on the table. “Now Jakub, I knew Kurt Karnstein for many years and he was not the type of person to believe in magic or witchcraft. No way!”

Abraham interjected. “Ryan, I am a lifelong student of archaeology and anthropology. I believe in science. We can dismiss most of myth and legend to people with over-active imaginations trying to make sense of something that can be explained by science.” Abraham put a hand over his heart and was waving his other hand up as if he were giving them a testimony. “I will say this and I say it with my deepest conviction for the truth. After a lifetime of research there are things that none of us understand. I have seen the evidence of a spirit world that exists all around us. Do not discount Jakub’s story so quickly.”

Ryan looked at Lexi, who seemed to be convinced by Abraham’s words, “Lex, we talked about this and I do think there is some sort of spirit world that exists. I just don’t believe that a man can use a simple metal disc to conjure demons and control someone’s mind. So this is what I want to do. I want Jakub to prove it.”

“Prove it? Prove it how?” Lexi asked perplexed.

Ryan picked up the amulet and handed it to Jakub. “On me. Go ahead Jakub. See this scar here?” Ryan pointed to an old jagged scar on his left forearm. “Nobody in this room knows how I got that scar. Use your magic coin to make me tell everyone in this room how I got the scar. I want Lexi to record a video with her phone at the same time.”

“Ryan, No!” Lexi interrupted. “You don’t need to do that. What does it matter if it’s a magic amulet or not?”

“Because, we—I need to know. I have to know if we are really dealing with black magic and demons or if this is something else.”

Jakub took the amulet from Ryan. “I agree with him, Lexi. I would be just as skeptical if I were him. Let me show you some of its magic.”

“Ryan, I don’t know about this. Why mess around with this sort of thing. Jakub, tell me, you’ve said you have done this with those survivors those children from the war. Is this some kind of hypnosis?”

“I believe that it’s very much like hypnosis. In a standard hypnosis therapy results are widely varied. At best standard hypnosis can help a patient to remember something that they have suppressed, but they really have to be willing participants and it may take a long time. It often takes multiple sessions. It’s easier for me at least to get a willing participant to perform some simple task or partially do so. That is the standard type that Shandor taught me first. It was street magic, parlor magic if you will. The power of the amulet is instant. I have never observed any residual effects in the children and I promise Ryan will not feel any pain.”

“Well, I am familiar with hypnosis and I know that for even the most skilled person it takes time to put somebody in a state like that. If this is real, he should be able to just use the little spell and quickly.” Lexi got her phone out to record the event. Abraham took his phone out to record it as well.

“One more thing, Lexi.” Jakub looked at her and then to the others. “There will be an apparition.”

Ryan laughed. “Okay, now you are trying to scare us out of this because you know damn well you are on the spot.”

“You will see.”

Chapter Eleven

Lexi record now.” Jakub placed the amulet flat against Ryan’s forehead and quietly whispered. Immediately his hand seemed to be immersed in a green and blue light. Abraham, who had been seated next to Jakub scrambled out of his chair and quickly moved closer to the door. The light spread between Jakub and Ryan. It grew larger, spreading above their heads. The light appeared to have sweeping lines that slowly rolled and spun around. It was as if there were gossamer sheets, rolling in the supernatural haze. The muscles on Ryan’s face quickly became completely relaxed and he had a blank stare. Lexi covered her mouth, to prevent herself from calling out to Ryan. Jakub then commanded Ryan. “You will go over to Lexi and tell us how you received the scar on your left forearm. When you are done you will kiss Lexi and then you will be awake.”

Ryan stood up and pointed to the scar on his arm. “I got this scar while trying to escape Nicaraguan border agents last year. I fell while climbing on a rock cliff. He gently pushed Lexi’s phone aside. As he walked away from Jakub, the glowing lightshow subsided and stopped. Ryan put his hands on her face as he lightly kissed her mouth. Suddenly Ryan looked alert but confused. “What? How did I get over here?”

“You are not going to believe this.” Lexi played the video clip on the phone to Ryan.

“What the hell? What is that glowing thing? Is that a ghost or something?” Ryan’s eyebrows were furrowed and he leaned toward the phone’s little screen. “I can’t believe it. You were telling me the truth, Jakub.” Ryan’s previous sarcastic tone had been completely washed away. “Uh, why did I go over and kiss Lexi?”

“I really don’t know what it is. I’ve come to the conclusion that it is some sort of magic energy, or perhaps an actual entity of some kind. And you kissed her because I commanded you to. I wanted to show you that I could completely control you.” 

Jakub smiled gently at the pair. “Besides, it doesn’t take any special powers to see you two are in love. Now listen, I am growing tired and I must finish. Please forgive me for hypnotizing your sister into telling you to come here with the amulet, but I need you to take the amulet to the site at Gobekli Tepe and bury it.”

Abraham broke his long silence. “I will go with you. I’m familiar with the site and Sumerian mythology as well. I’m convinced that Jakub is correct. The amulet is very powerful and none of us can know what evil spirits might be conjured up with it. It needs to be neutralized, buried again.”

Ryan and Lexi were both astounded by what had just happened. Now, there was no doubt in their minds that everything Jakub said was true. “Of course, we are going to get Kate and we will bury this as deep as we can up there.” They both walked toward the door next to Abraham.

Jakub called out one last warning. “Whatever happens, do not try to use the amulet in the manner I just did. Bury it! Bury that thing deep in the ground where it belongs.” Jakub stood up and said, “go now please, I am very tired.”

The three silently walked out into the blinding afternoon sunlight. Everything that Jakub had shown them left them utterly speechless. It was one thing to hear fantastic stories of a supernatural nature, but it was something else entirely to witness it firsthand.

“Wow. Just wow.” Lexi said.

Ryan stopped and looked at her “Wow is right. I still can’t comprehend how that worked. I don’t think I ever will, but I’m convinced now that Jakub is right. Kate is getting herself into a world that is very dangerous. The people that she has been seen with are probably looking for the amulet. She probably told them it’s buried out there still.”

“Yes, I think so too. Now that we have all seen just one of the powers of the amulet.” Abraham paused, taking in the sights around him. “Ryan, please contact your friends from Mossad and let them know where we are headed. I think they can help in getting us into the area. I’ll stop by your hotel this evening and then we can discuss our plans over a meal.”

Chapter Twelve

Ryan looked over into the bedroom of the suite and saw that Lexi was sound asleep on the bed. He had brought the locked cases up from the vehicle and went through the items. One case held the pieces for a complete M-16, two semi-automatic pistols, his revolver, a very large sniper rifle, and plenty of ammunition.

The other case contained a complete first aid kit as well as hand-held GPS units. He tried to come up with a plan to gain entrance into the area of the site with all of his equipment. If they were to go into the country as tourists they might not get permission to cross into that province, due to the conflict unfolding across the border. A quick call to Ben for help with insertion gave him few resources. Mossad wouldn’t be of any help to him, but Ben provided Ryan with a contact in the border region that would be traveling close enough to observe Kate for a short while.

Lexi stood in the bedroom doorway, stretching her arms out. When she saw the array of weapons spread out on the floor in front of Ryan, her stretch came to an abrupt end. “Holy cats, Ryan! What are you expecting?” Except for the brief rescue in Colombia Lexi had only gotten to know the relaxed and gentle Ryan. Though, she knew that sooner or later she would get to know his other side.

“Anything. Everything. You have to prepare for the worst. That’s the only way to approach this situation. There are way too many unknowns, Lexi. My focus is keeping you safe while getting your sister the hell out of there.”

“Okay, Ryan I understand your reasoning, but
I thought you said the area wasn’t dangerous. Is there something I ought to know about?”

“No it
WASN’T
that dangerous, but now I really don’t know what to expect. You’ve got Kate wandering around some archaeological dig, poking for spooky magic, not to mention spirits and a pissed off night demoness. Listen, I have no idea if I could even kill one of those things if it came to that, but I sure as hell would want to give it my best fight. I’m hoping that Abraham will have some answers on all this when he gets here.”

Lexi watched two ships out on the horizon slip away from the edge of the world from the balcony doorway. “I hope he does too. At this point I’m desperate to just take all this information and come up with a plan to get Kate.”

“I made a few calls. I contacted someone that Ben hooked me up with in the area. He plans to be going through the region today. I asked him to see if he can locate exactly where Kate is and give us a general idea of her activity. We should hear back pretty soon.” Ryan started packing away his gear while Lexi went to get ready for Abraham’s visit.

It wasn’t long until the room phone rang, announcing that Abraham was waiting in the lobby. When Lexi and Ryan arrived in the lobby Abraham was back to his earlier cheery self. The trio headed off to a nearby restaurant that Abraham assured would allow them privacy. Once they had made themselves comfortable, Abraham set out a few books and some images he had copied from others. He quickly set himself in teacher mode, and began to point out what they could make sense of from what happened earlier. “I know you two have a lot of questions. I may have some answers, but certainly not all of them. Oh, and I am not as long winded as Jakub.”

“First, a quick down and dirty lesson on the Sumerian belief system. The Sumerians were the oldest known civilization. Their beliefs originated long before their cities were built. So this is some old stuff we are talking about here. Everything we’ve learned about their complex religion has come directly from them. The Sumerians had the first written language and they left tons of information for us on clay tablets. We have incantations, magic spells, curses, and cures written by their priests, sorcerers, and fortune tellers. These writings tell us they lived in a world with hundreds of Gods, spirits, and demons. Somewhere between six hundred and a thousand different ones, maybe even more.

None of these supernatural beings were purely good. Most of these Gods would act with benevolence or wrath whenever it pleased them. You could say they were very fickle and could turn on themselves or people at any time, much like the Gods of Greek or Norse mythology. The demons however, were incapable of good, they were pure evil. There was a constant struggle in the realm of the spirits between all of these with mankind caught in the middle.”

“What about the amulet? Have you-” Lexi asked.

“How do I kill a demon, Abraham?”  Ryan interrupted a surprised Lexi.

“Hold on to that question, Ryan. Lexi, I think you wanted to know about the amulet. I had a good look at the thing when Jakub once came to me with it many years ago. At that time, my work was focused on other studies and I didn’t have the time or resources to identify any of the characters or symbology on it. I talked about this briefly at Jakub’s house, but I think it would be good to give you a little more information. First the image on one side depicts Lilitu, the female night demon that transforms into an owl. This is what I know of Lilitu from the original Sumerian clay tablets. These are the things they said about her. She is a demon, so she is only capable of evil. It is said she can fly at night as an owl. She is a succubus and devours the spirits and blood of the living.

The unusual thing about this amulet is the seven pointed star on the other side. More commonly we find the eight pointed star represented Inana. So this seven pointed star is always unique to find. The seven pointed star, or pentagram, has been used as a symbol for thousands of years, and with very different meanings. In this case, I have concluded that each of the seven points of the star represent a powerful force which radiates to the center. The crossing lines create the pentagon shape in the middle. The pentagon shape has its own meaning. It means creation or rebirth.”

“So what exactly are those seven forces? And what would they be creating?” Lexi asked.

“I was confused about that myself, Lexi. I had no idea what these seven forces could be, until I decoded the language of the markings surrounding the star. They indicate a conjuring spell. It conjures a demon known as The Seven. This was a demon I had never heard of. I dug through everything I had with no luck, until one day I stumbled upon an excellent research paper.” 

Abraham shuffled through the photocopied pages from his stack of reference materials. “I have something somewhere.” He looked closely at each page. “Yes, here it is. Read what this says.”

Ryan and Lexi looked over the highlighted words and attempted to make sense of the ancient reference.

They are Seven:

Seven are they in the depth of the primeval water,

They are Seven,

Seven Witches are its adornment,

They are the ones who fly around,

They roam the world,

Together Seven witches are the Utukku,

They are Seven of Seven, Seven Times Seven

“Okay that is interesting, but it makes no sense. What do you think, Lexi?”

“My guess is that it’s about seven witches?”

“Yes, seven witches. Together, their powers combine to become an Utukku. The Utukku is a very evil demon. The use of the number seven in the last line tells us this evil demon is incredibly powerful. Seven was a magic number to the Sumerians and when they wanted to express a very large or important quantity, they would often use the number of seven multiplied by seven.”

“Okay Abraham, do you think the star side of the amulet conjures these seven demons that are also seven witches?” Ryan was trying to grasp what Abraham was speculating.

“Yes, that is it exactly. Seven witches who were really seven demons, demons in human form. The seven pointed star symbol is a diagram that represents this unique combination of witches and demons into one force.”

“Okay guys—now that seems a little frightening to imagine.” Lexi seemed unnerved as the image filled her mind.

“Lexi, guess who found this reference? It was none other than Kate. I found an article she submitted to the department of Mesopotamian studies in Ankara, Turkey. As a normal routine they send me copies of these sorts of things for my review. This came in last month. I thought it was something old because the name was Ekaterina Salenko, I assumed it was something I had received from your mother. She was very much involved in the work at the Gobekli Tepe site, by the way. Then I saw the dates and realized this is not from your mother’s research, but your sister’s from about six months ago.”

Lexi looked surprised. “Wow I didn’t know what research my mom was involved in. I didn’t even know what Kate was working on, even though I tried to find out. When I went to Kate’s house to retrieve the amulet I looked at her computer. There was nothing there. No research work, no travel plans. It looked to me like she barely used it, but it doesn’t surprise me at all. Kurt was always preaching about how most of the programs and websites on the internet were being used by the government to snoop on people.”

Abraham continued, “I have to tell you something that Kate hid from Jakub. She did discover that the amulet was indeed magical. In the course of her research, she discovered that it was linked to an ancient Sumerian witchcraft cult.”

“The Seven?” Ryan speculated.

“Exactly. She learned that in ancient times these same witches had occupied the temple at Gobekli Tepe, and that is where they performed their rituals. The witches had the power of possession. They also had the skill to conjure a specific demon to let it take possession of them. Perhaps in the world of so many demons the seven demons were sort of on the lower end of demonic ability. At some point they decided to join forces to become one very uh, how would you say? Badass demon. Conceivably the only way they could achieve that type of super power was by possessing these human witches and performing their special magic. The only thing they feared was one specific demon. It was their only known enemy.”

“Lilitu!” Ryan and Lexi announced together. “Jinx!”

“Very good. The two of you are excellent students.”

“So, they
WERE
witches, right? I mean thousands of years ago. They would be long dead now. So what is the danger?” Lexi pointedly asked Abraham.

“I would say that their bodies are dead, yes. I just wish I knew if their spirits survived.”

Ryan thought about why Lilitu would want to pursue The Seven and announced a theory of his own. “What if Lilitu thought that if she devoured these witches, she could achieve the power of possession?”

“That would be very bad if she did, Ryan.” Abraham seemed surprised that he hadn’t thought of that. The apprehensive look that crossed his face showed his concern when he considered what that would mean.

Ryan speculated further. “Alright, so the amulet protects someone against Lilitu, and it also is used by The Seven to conjure up their super demon. I think Jakub was sincere about what he told us. The thing we don’t know is where Shandor got it or why he had it. We don’t know exactly what Kate is up to. Is she trying to tap into the power of The Seven? I’m going to say she isn’t. Otherwise, she would have taken the amulet with her. I suppose we’ll find that out when we meet.” 

“You make a pretty good detective, Ryan. Also, you two make a good team. Wouldn’t you agree, Lexi?”

“Oh, I would say we definitely make a great team.”

Abraham smiled at the two as Ryan took Lexi’s hand. “You know I have to tell you something. Some of the Sumerian magic often relies on the assistance of what they believed was a very powerful Goddess named Inana, also known as Ishtar. She is the Goddess of war and erotic love. It was thought that people involved in her magic could be affected by some of the energy. Even though this amulet does not bear a direct tie to her it still may have been used to some degree by the witches to invoke Inana’s help. Therefore it could emulate the erotic power of Inana.”

“Um—you mean the amulet could make people fall in love or something?” Lexi worried.

“Oh no. Absolutely not. None of these demons or spirits are capable of any type of love. Love is purely a human power they simply can’t fathom. You also have to understand that the ancients differed between what is love and what is erotic. There is a very strong energy from erotic love, lust, and desire. I can’t say a spirit like Inana could create that kind of power, but I would suggest a theory that perhaps a little spark of magic could kind of push one’s inhibitions aside...to enjoy the erotic love. I can’t imagine a more powerful combination, love and passion. Yes? What do you think about my theory, Lexi?” Abraham leaned back in his chair, his smile broke through his curly gray beard as he watched Lexi blush beyond her control.

Lexi took her hand and put it under the table. She laid her hand on Ryan’s thigh and moved it up until she grasped the bulk of his manhood. She answered Abraham. “Well it can become very
hard
...you know—to accept magic, but it sounds like you are onto something very
big
. What do you think, Ryan?”

Ryan’s thoughts were already drifting back to the memories of their intimate moments as Lexi’s hand toyed with the hardness that now strained against his zipper. He had completely missed what Lexi had asked him.

He took a chance at agreeing with whatever it was Lexi asked. “Uh, yes. I suppose. Say when are we going to get something to eat? I’m starving.”

Abraham waved through the window of the private dining room, and two waiters immediately arrived with platters that held a variety of dishes for them to try. Ryan gently placed his hand on Lexi’s thigh. His hand along the seam of her dress, before diving under the silky material. He slid one finger under the edge of her panties, teasing her lightly, briefly, to let her know that two could play that game.