Chapter 2: The Motherhouse

Wednesday October 2nd, 2013 – Sam Soun

As our early morning flight on British Air took off from Heathrow Airport in London to Toulouse in Southern France, the entire plane was abuzz about the woman found badly assaulted in the restroom in the terminal. She was found around midnight local time, and since then I kept Candy and I where there were people around. Safety in the herd. I took no chances and made sure my bronze dagger – enchanted to harm spiritual beings – was easily accessible.

"They say she had bite marks on her thighs and breasts," a passenger in the seat in front of us whispered to the woman sitting next to her. "Like something had drank her blood."

"I heard the girl was naked and delirious when they found her," the second passenger whispered back. "They say she was..." the passenger gave a quick look around to see if anyone was eavesdropping, " ... masturbating. The poor thing was barely conscious from blood loss and still jilling herself."

"It sounds like one of Lilith's children, Sam," Candy whispered to me. "One of the Akula."

"Alukah," I absently corrected, thumbing my earlobe. I had my carry-on bag sitting on my lap, dagger accessible. "We may be in some danger."

The plane started taxiing to the runway and Candy's eyes widened. "You think it's after us."

"Yes," I answered, trying to sound calmer than I felt. "It must know about our mission."

Anger flashed in Candy's eyes. "Then why did they only send the two of us. Why not send a few of those sluts they call bodyguards to protect us. The way they dress, I'm sure the Alukah would be pestering the guard, and leave us alone."

Why did Mark and Mary send us alone? To not attract attention, I guess. They certainly couldn't come to France without causing a firestorm. I had grabbed a London Times while we were waiting for our connecting flight to France, and read that the UK was embroiled in a vote of no confidence against their Prime Minister for supporting Mark and lauding the President of France for condemning him.

"We will be safe," I lied. "I know more about magic than anyone."

"Not Lilith," Candy pointed out. "It was foolish of them to send us without any guards. Fuck they're idiots!"

I blinked, having never heard Candy say anything bad about Mark and Mary. It was the fear talking. I could see it in her eyes. I felt the same fear gripping my heart with a cold, slimy hand. Candy was right—they should have sent us some protection.

I worried the entire flight to Toulouse. Mary said to call their Chief of Police if we needed any help; she had put him under her control a few days ago when she flew out to France to steal the Mother Superior's Gift. I would definitely feel better if there were some armed men around. The cops combined with an ointment that would protect against the Alukah's mesmerizing gaze – if I figured it out right, and there wouldn't be a way to test it until we were face-to-face with the monster – would go a long way in protecting us. The ingredients shouldn't be too hard to find for the ointment: St. John's wort, a daisy, and some red berries combined with some sort of cream as the base. Then I just had to perform a simple charm and we should be protected from the most dangerous weapon the Alukah possessed. When we landed at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, I found all the ingredients in the duty free shop – thank God for the all-natural health craze and florists – and I mixed them together, using a cold cream for the base.

I spritzed some of my enchanted perfume on me as we made our way to customs. It was similar to these incense sticks I made for Willow, and would put people into a suggestive frame of mind. One whiff and the Customs Official waved us through even though neither of us had passports. After customs we called the Captain of the Toulouse Police and he sent us two cops for an escort. The sun was just rising when they pulled up in one of those ridiculously tiny, European cop cars.

"I am Michel, this is Francois," the serious young man said climbing out of the cop car. His eyes were instantly glued to Candy's cleavage. I couldn't blame him; she was showing a lot of it and it was very stunning.

Francois was a dark, brooding man, handsome, with a huge grin on his face. He sauntered up to Candy, asking, "Want touch my rooster?" Michel shook his head and muttered something in French. Francois ignored him, continuing, "American ladies love big rooster!"

"What?" Candy giggled.

"My rooster! Is very big!" He held his hands over a foot apart. "My rooster feel great your cat!"

"Come again?" I asked, baffled by what Francois was saying.

"My rooster!" Francois exclaimed enthusiastically, pointing to his crotch. "Ladies love big rooster! Like Black man."

"You mean your cock? Your penis?" I asked, finally catching his drift.

"Yeah, yeah. My big rooster! It rises every morning. Very straight and crows very much!"

"And cat is our pussies?" Candy asked.

He nodded and I saw Candy give him a considering look then a promising smile. I blinked; Candy wasn't usually into guys. I gave Francois a second glance and decided that he was handsome enough. Maybe later Candy and I could have some fun. Just because I could make my own cock didn't mean I stopped craving a nice, hard dick.

"You were told to do whatever we say, right?" I asked them.

"Oui, oui," Michel nodded.

"Good, rub this ointment under your eyes," I ordered, holding out the cold cream container.

"Why?" Francois asked, staring askance at the ointment.

"Makes your rooster big," Candy giggled. "If it's as big as you say, maybe my hungry cat will eat it."

Francois's grin was priceless. He was so eager to rub it on his eyes that I suspected he was a virgin, and his over-the-top flirting was only a mask to hide it. Michel frowned and Candy shook her cleavage at him and he sighed, sniffed the minty concoction, and rubbed it under his eyes muttering something in French. It didn't sound complimentary. The ointment had a ... distinct odor to it. That strong, medicinal smell from the cold cream combined with a sulfurous fume from the charm.

Francois flirted badly with us the entire drive. His understanding of English wasn't that great and trying to figure out what he meant was a real chore sometimes. The countryside of France was quite beautiful, the roads were lined with ancient hedgerows – walls of green that were older than any city in America – that streaked by as green blurs as Francois drove us at breakneck speed down the country highway. Soon a hill rose up ahead, a pile of rocks looming over the French countryside; Rennes-le-Château perched atop it, like a crown on a rocky giant's head.

The road up the hill to the town was curvy, winding back and forth like a drunken serpent. Rennes-le-Château was ancient, made of stone buildings that seemed to groan with the centuries. The streets were far too narrow for more than one car to drive down at a time, even one as small as the cop's vehicle. Francois didn't care, he barreled down them and forced any oncoming motorist to back out of his way. I was feeling definitely carsick after the bouncy ride across the cobblestone streets, and thrilled when we reached the Church of Mary Magdalene and the ride was over. The Motherhouse loomed behind it, and we got out, walking around the ancient church.

The Motherhouse was as old as the rest of the town. Made of stones fitted together and weathered by centuries of rain, while green creepers crawled up the sides, trying to pry the stones apart. The door was aged wood and bound in iron. It was closed, but not locked.

I cast a warding spell while the cops watched with bemused expressions. Candy was a dear and started flirting with them to keep them out of my way. The Natsar spell – which should keep the Alukah out, as well as any other children of Lilith, minor demons, homunculi, and spirits that might be after us – had to be precisely cast at all four corners of the building.

"Francois, you stay out and watch the door," I told him. "Don't invite anyone in."

"Of course, mademoiselle," he answered with a bow. "No fear. I protect you with big rooster!"

Candy laughed and patted his groin. "I bet you will."

Our defenses set, I eagerly headed for the basement followed by Michel and Candy. The cop had his flashlight out, shining ahead, as I raced down the tight, narrow staircase. The basement – reeking of centuries of filth – was full of old cardboard boxes that were stained black with mildew. At the far end was a door made of iron and covered with what appeared to be Paleo-Hebrew characters.

Excitedly I read. They were commands forbidding elohim from entering. Elohim could mean many things, all connected to the spiritual realm. Literally translated it meant 'gods' and was often applied to the God of the Old Testament, but could also refer to angels, spirits of the dead, and the pagan gods worshiped by the Israelite enemies.

I touched the metal, feeling the hammer strokes that had beated the metal flat, then traced through the angular script. They must have stamped the characters. The metal was clearly iron and I bet that it was cold iron; probably even meteoric iron. The most powerful metal in dealing with the supernatural has always been iron not worked by heat, and the most readily available source of iron in the ancient world fell from the skies—meteors.

Candy and the French cop watched in curiosity. "Candy, grab the survey equipment from the car." After the two cops picked us up, we purchased some supplies before we left Toulouse. "Then take scrapings of the walls. I will need a metallurgical analysis."

"Sure, Sam," Candy smiled.

I grabbed the digital camera and began to meticulously document the room. Inside there were more spells written on the walls and I felt a giddy feeling bubble up inside me. If I wasn't their Vizier, I could make a name for myself in the archeological world for this discovery. A shame I could never share it with my peers.

Luka – Rennes-le-Château, France

I watched the French cop as he stood bored in front of the Motherhouse from my perch in the ancient oak tree. My target was inside there—Samnag Soun. I could smell her scent thick in the air. I had been watching all day, waiting, pondering.

My fangs itched to sink into Sam's olive throat and drink my fill of her life, but first I had to deal with the Natsar ward and then her guards. I did not have my sister Cora's brute strength. I could smell the ointment from here that protected all of them from my gaze, and I could be overpowered by the two cops if I wasn't careful. As the day wore on the cop guarding the front door grew more and more bored. The sun would be setting soon, and his attention would only worsen with time.

Finally, the sun slipped beneath the horizon and the sky darkened to a deep purple-black. Thunder rumbled in the distance; a storm approached. I slipped out of the tree and boldly walked down the path to him. I shaped my hair into a form-fitting bodysuit. It hugged every lush curve of my body and I felt the French cop's gaze fall on me and the lust burning in his eyes.

I didn't need my gaze to deal with a horny man.

He said something in French. It was musical, poetry given sound, and utterly meaningless to me. I just smiled as sultry as possible and exaggerated the roll of my hips even more. He kept speaking in French as I stepped up in front of him just on the other side of the Natsar's boundary and boldly looked him up and down.

"I love cops," I purred. Thunder rumbled behind me, the wind picking up as dark storm clouds swept over the hill. Candy Garnett I was bored.

Sam was having fun taking her measurements and notes and all that academic shit. She was talking about the days and days it would take to her to record it all and analysis it. She was positively giddy.

I could only fidget and watch her work, trying to pay attention so I could help her out, but she seemed to be lost in her world of discovery. On top of the boredom, there was the dull fear aching my heart. An Alukah may be hunting us; sure we were safe inside the Natsar, but I couldn't shake the unease writhing like an eel in my stomach. Anger burned in me that Mark and Mary would send us out here by ourselves. Sam was the most important person in maintaining their power and they didn't give her half the respect she deserved. Sam should be running things, in my opinion, not kowtowing to those two idiots that were forever blundering into one disaster after another.

Sam should make her own pact with Lucifer.

I was scared to bring it up to her – it was such a seditious idea – but she could be so much more if she just had a little bit more ambition to go with her intelligence. With my help Sam would one day show the world just how smart and powerful she really is.

In the meantime, I was bored.

Michel was as bored as I was, leaning against a moldy cardboard box. He was cute, with dark eyes and hair. And incredibly shy. I've always preferred the ladies, but there have been times when a guy was cute enough to attract my interest. I loved the shy ones. They always let me be the aggressive one—the one in charge.

I glanced at Sam; she was lost in her work and I felt an itch growing between my thighs. Maybe Michel could help me out.

"It must be so hard to be a cop," I cooed, sidling up to Michel. I thrust out my chest, making sure he had a nice view down my cleavage. I lightly touched his wrist and he flushed, looking uncomfortable. "All those long hours. I bet your girlfriend just hates it."

He shifted. "No girl," he muttered.

"Really? With those dark eyes? I thought you would have to hold the ladies at bay with a stick! I love a guy with dark, brooding eyes." I leaned in, fluttering my eyes at him, sliding my hand up his arm and giving his bicep a squeeze. "And so strong! What woman wouldn't love to have you?"

"I ... um..." he muttered something in French. "I should be guard."

"Francois is watching the entrance," I told him, stroking his arm. "Besides, you can watch and talk at the same time." This time I let my breast press against his arm.

"This isn't ... um..." he paused, searching for the right word, " ... appropriate. I am working."

"And what are we doing that is so inappropriate?" I grinned, pressing my body against his side, my hand rubbing his chest. I leaned in and whispered in his ear, "We're just talking, Michel."

He went rigid, and tried to jerk away. I grabbed his arm, pulling him back.

"Don't be so stiff. I'm not going to bite." I paused, smiling coquettishly. "Much."

Sweat beaded on his forehead and he glanced at Sam. "What about your boss? You are helping, no?"

"She won't mind." His chin was rough with stubble as I kissed his cheek. I moved closer and closer to his lips. He was an okay kisser, his lips dry. He froze at first, then I felt him relax, kissing me back, his hands gently resting on my hips. I broke the kiss. "Did you hear that?"