| |
There was nothing temple-like about the building at 86 St James Street. It was a large, elegant, but perfectly ordinary house.
Billings checked the address on the card. It was correct. He shrugged and ascended the steps.
A man stood guard at the door. “Can I help you, sir?”
“I’ve come to attend a meeting at the Temple of Thoth.” He suddenly felt stupid saying this.
The guard remained stone-faced. “Have you an invitation?”
“Yes.” Billings showed him the invitation card.
The guard nodded. He took a mask out of a canvas bag beside him and handed it to Billings. “Put this on.”
Billings looked at the mask – a white and blue falcon. “What is this?”
The guard shrugged. “They want all invitees to put one on. The meeting is in the ballroom downstairs.”
Billings put on the mask and entered the building.
He descended towards the cellar and stopped at the doorway of a large room. Wooden benches stood against the wood-panelled walls, facing a large throne in the middle of the room. The black and white floor looked like a chess board. Small windows at the top let in some light, but the room was largely illuminated by an impressive crystal chandelier which held about fifty candles.
There were other people in the room. A woman with a black cat mask sat on one of the benches, playing with her gloves. Three men – a jackal, a crocodile and a monkey – stood apart from each other, quietly looking around them. Billings met the eye of the monkey. He nodded. Monkey nodded back.
Suddenly, a door in the panelled wall opened and a man walked in. He was dressed in a black suit and wore a bird mask – a green head with a long, curved beak. An ibis. He counted the assembled guests. Satisfied that all were present, he shut the door and walked towards the throne.
“Welcome, gentlemen,” he said in a booming voice. “And you too, ma’am,” he added, turning towards the woman. “Welcome all to the Temple of Thoth. I am delighted that you were able to come. We sent out five invitations this week, and I am very pleased to see that all five of you are here. Well, sit down, please” – he addressed this at the four gentlemen still standing – “and all will be made clear to you.”
Billings and the three gentlemen took a seat. They watched tensely as the man sat on the throne and stared at the invitees. A serious and intense stare.
“You all look so uncomfortable,” he said. “And you have every cause to be. Because what you’re about to witness is going to change your lives forever. We are members of a society called the Sons of Cain and Daughters of Lilith.”
Billings jolted in his seat at the mention of the Daughters of Lilith.
“We are the keepers and purveyors of magic. That’s right. Magic. Over the last few days, you have, unbeknownst to you, had a conversation with one of our members. And this member has seen something in you. Something extraordinary. A certain look in your eye. Or perhaps it was something you said. But whatever it was, something about you betrayed to our member that you are a son of Cain” – he turned towards the woman – “or a daughter of Lilith, and that you have what it takes to understand those things which are normally hidden from the ordinary man. You are extraordinary. And the magic that you will learn in this society will be extraordinary. You will obtain great powers. But with this power comes responsibility. We need to make sure that whatever happens within the society, stays in the society. I need all five of you to make a solemn promise not to speak about this to anyone. If you do not agree, get out now. Leave this building immediately. You will never hear from us again. But if you do agree, if you do want to receive the power and wisdom which God has laid at your disposal, then nod. But beware! Break your promise and the wrath of the Gods will be unleashed on you!”
He passed his eyes over the invitees. They all looked nervous but intrigued. Monkey was the first to nod. Cat followed soon after. Jackal and Crocodile came after. Only Billings remained. All eyes were now on him. He nodded slowly. Ibis smiled.
“Very good.” Ibis got off his throne and spread his arms. “This ballroom, this wonderful space we have hired, is known as the Temple of Thoth. Named after the Egyptian god of wisdom and magic. Thoth presided over Cain and Lilith after they were banished from Eden and showed them the power and wonder which was concealed from the rest of humanity. Cain and Lilith are the patriarch and matriarch of magic. Their knowledge has been passed down through their descendants and written down by the priests of Babylon and ancient Egypt. Moses, prophet and Prince of Egypt, took this knowledge with him to the Holy Land, where it was consequently concealed in Solomon’s Temple. When the temple was destroyed, this knowledge became scattered. Parts of it were re-discovered by Sephardic Jews in Moorish Spain, and Greek priests in Byzantine churches, and crusading monks in Jerusalem. Other parts of that knowledge were never forgotten but held in trust by fakirs and Buddhists in China and India. Over the centuries, little by little, various learned men and women have reassembled these sacred texts and grimoires, and now we, the Sons of Cain and Daughters of Lilith, are in possession of most of it. By becoming members of this society, you too can learn to perform magic. By magic, I do not mean trickery or sleight of hand. I mean real magic. The ability to do things which were previously unimaginable. Magic is not an innate gift. We can all learn to do it. All you need is to train your mind and your body, and we can show you how.”
Ibis stopped and scanned his audience. He smiled. “Oh, I can see that look of scepticism in your eyes. And you are right to be sceptical. That is why you have been chosen. Because you are inquisitive and curious, and you never take anybody at their word. But I am not asking you to believe my words. I’m asking you to believe your eyes.”
He headed to the hidden door in the panelled wall. “You shall now witness first-hand the power of the occult.”
He opened the door. In the doorway stood a tall Indian man wearing a white turban, a lime green sherwani and scarlet silk breeches. On his face he wore a black mask with a big snout and long ears. Billings couldn’t make out what it was. A dog? An anteater? On the man’s feet were black and gold juttis with pointed tips. He stood rigidly in the doorway, his hands clasped on his chest, staring ahead of him
“Gentlemen... and lady.” Ibis now spoke in a low, soft voice. “This is Frater Dramboo, one of our teachers. We have brought him over from Kashmir – an old and enchanting region where the best esoteric traditions of Hinduism, Islam and Buddhism have come together to give us some of the most powerful magic in the world.”
The Indian man walked towards the centre of the room, his gaze fixed firmly in front of him. He sat cross-legged on the floor. He kept his back straight and placed his hands on his knees, palms facing upwards.
“What Frater Dramboo is about to perform,” Ibis continued in a low voice, “is an incredible feat for which he has been preparing these last eight hours. He has put himself in a trance using various breathing techniques, and he must remain in a trance throughout the performance. It is imperative, therefore, that we remain as quiet as possible, so as not to break his concentration.”
The Indian closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The rapt invitees followed his every move.
After a few minutes, he began to tremble gently. Then suddenly he began to float upwards. He rose nearly a foot in the air, casting a shadow on the black and white tiles beneath him.
The audience gasped with astonishment. The man stopped trembling and hovered in the air for a few seconds before gently coming back down. He opened his eyes, stood up, bowed to the invitees and walked out through the secret door.
Monkey, Jackal and Crocodile burst out in cheers and applause. Cat was struck dumb. She kept gazing at the hidden door, holding her hands to her mouth.
Billings was neither gasping nor clapping. He looked at the spot on which the Indian had been sitting, searching for signs of a trapdoor, or strings, or mirrors or anything that could explain the remarkable feat he had just witnessed.
“Gentlemen... and lady,” Ibis resumed in his loud, booming voice. “You too can learn to do that, and many other incredible and wondrous feats, if you join the Sons of Cain and Daughters of Lilith. In the coming days, you shall receive an invitation to another venue. We never use the same venue twice. If you decide to come, in exchange for a one-hundred-pound donation towards the maintenance and expansion of our library, you shall be inducted into the society. If you do not come, then this will be the last you hear from us.”
He turned his back on his audience and disappeared through the hidden door.