He was running faster than ever before; running like his life depended upon it—because it did. If Caleb didn’t escape the Cult’s clutches, he was as good as dead because there was no way he would let them use him as leverage. The Cult won’t force Brendan to perform unspeakable evils on my account.
Brendan’s office was his first stop. He needed to pick the lock, since Brendan had secured everything before heading over to Cult central. Caleb grabbed the books they’d been reading, along with the translation notes and the blue cartouche. Too impatient to wait for the lift, he descended the stairs two at a time.
A quick peek out into the street assured him the coast was clear, so he made a dash for his car. Now what? Caleb glanced at the books on the seat beside him and sighed. Taking the only option remaining, he drove through the city and across the Harbour Bridge into North Sydney. After giving up on a legitimate spot, he parked in a loading zone and stormed into the Council Chambers.
The petite half-mage receptionist jumped at the sound of Caleb’s brief case hitting the counter.
‘I need to see High Magus O’Grady, immediately.’
‘I’m sorry, but the High Magus is busy at the moment. You will need to make an appointment.’
‘I don’t give a rat’s arse what his Lordship is doing. If he values his life and that of everyone else in this damn state, he will make time to see me now.’
‘Are you threating us, sir? Because the High Magus does not take kindly to threats, nor do we appreciate interruptions by unseelie riff raff.’
Caleb laughed drily. ‘Trust me, woman, I am the least of your worries right now. If you don’t get the High Magus for me pronto, a cult of dark mages over in the CBD will bring hell to Earth and you can die knowing you had a chance to stop it, but let your prejudice get in the way.’
Gaping at him, she picked up her phone. ‘Sorry to interrupt Your Honour, but there is a man out the front with an urgent matter. Something about a dark mage cult … Yes, Your Honour.’ Dropping the handset in its cradle, she looked up at Caleb. ‘He will see you now.’
Picking up his suitcase, Caleb marched on through the security gate, up the stairs, and onto the second floor of the Council’s ivory tower.
High Magus O’Grady waited for Caleb at the door to his office. As soon as he glimpsed his visitor, he frowned. ‘I did not expect to see one of the endarkened coming to me about this. What is your involvement with dark mage cults?’
He pushed past the High Magus into the office. ‘My boyfriend went undercover to investigate one of them and now they have him in captivity.’
‘And you expect me to drop everything to go rescue some unseelie?’ O’Grady closed the door.
Caleb scowled at the High Magus. ‘Firstly, my boyfriend is not unseelie. He is a pure mage. Secondly, the cult in question is one your own pets have been investigating and I believe they also captured Warlock Quirke.’ He threw his briefcase on O’Grady’s desk and flipped open the latches. ‘Here is the evidence you need to mount an outright attack on the Cult’s headquarters. I suggest doing so pretty soon because they have what they were looking for and are probably casting the ritual circle about now.’
O’Grady looked through the books and papers. ‘How is this evidence? I can’t even read most of it.’
‘Those books are copies taken directly from the Cult’s secret library.’ He drew closer to the desk, handed O’Grady the cartouche, and flicked through the pages to where Brendan had made notes on the relic. ‘This ancient artifact belonged to the Cult. But they don’t need it anymore because now they have this.’ Caleb skipped to the page about the lazurite scarab. ‘This is what the Cult stole from the museum.’
Minutes passed in painful silence as O’Grady read Brendan’s notes. He looked up with a furrowed brow. ‘I still don’t understand the significance of all this.’
Caleb rolled his eyes. How could such a dumb fuck have become High Magus? ‘Did you miss the page explaining how the Obsidian Cult also call themselves the Sons of Set? They are dark elves born of an evil Egyptian God. Who do you think they want to summon with the Lazurite Scarab? I seriously doubt they are looking to invite Lugh around for tea and scones.’
With wide eyes O’Grady’s attention returned to reading the page about the cartouche and the Sons of Set. ‘Apparently they used to use this trinket in a dark mating ritual. Does that mean—’
‘They want more dark elf babies? Yep. I can’t imagine the women they are using in the ritual are willing volunteers either. I bet Set would be keen to stay a while once he comes to town since I doubt it’s much fun for him in the Underworld.’ Caleb had no idea if the Cult were intending to summon Set, but it made as much sense as any of the theories he’d toyed with, and it was the most ominous story to tell the High Magus.
‘You can’t be serious. It would take immense power to break Set’s shackles and pull him from the Underworld.’
‘With Brendan and Tyler as his doppelganger, they have all the power they need. Sorry, did I forget to mention that part?’
Brendan cast the circle much like he had done for years as a regular mage, only the Cult had inverted the pentagram he stepped around. Instead of calling upon the element of Aether at the apex, he lit a purple candle at the base to call upon nether, the stygian element. With Damien and Harvey watching from the sidelines, both with phones in hand, Brendan gulped before continuing. He invited Kek, along with two other dark elves, plus Tyler, into the ritual space, asking them, ‘How do you enter the circle?’
They each responded, ‘With a hunger for power.’
Once the others were kneeling, Brendan took his place at the altar where he touched the Lazurite Scarab as he read the prescribed invocation:
‘Set, God of Chaos, we praise you in all of your forms. You are the dark that balances the light, the violence in our hearts, and the Divine Outcast. We present you with offerings and you are free to take those of your choosing. We ask only that you honour us and bless us with power.’ He felt queasy as he spoke the words of offering.
Lifting his arms, he began chanting. ‘We invoke thee Set: accept our offerings and live among us.’ As the words left his lips, Brendan visualised Set in the fiery pits of the Underworld and imagined the God breaking free of his prison.
The rest of the group repeated the mantra with him and after a few minutes, Brendan felt energy surging through him, giving him an incredible rush. But the air changed in the room and his heart thumped wildly as a dark form materialised in the middle of the circle.
Breath rushed out of Brendan’s lungs at the sight of the red ochre-skinned man with the head and tail of a beast. Set was easily seven foot tall. Holy. Shit. An actual God stands before me. He experienced true awe in the face of such terrifying beauty and unbridled power.
Set leered at the women strung up around the room, all of whom had awoken and were attempting to scream, but their gags muffled their cries. He said something in Arabic before approaching Brendan.
Unsure if he wanted Set’s blessing—or is it a damning?—but too afraid to move, Brendan remained frozen in place, allowing Set’s hand to rest upon his head.
A commanding voice filled his mind. ‘You have done well, my servant. As a reward, I shall strengthen your conduits.’ Power flowed into Brendan, and it felt as though he was growing. But after Set’s words, he understood his capacity to channel mana was expanding. Set moved around the circle, empowering the other participants.
As Set approached the women, Brendan’s stomach lurched. The first victim was a buxom blonde dark mage. No one Brendan knew, but that did not diminish the horror he felt at the sight of her thrashing about when the seven-foot-tall beast of a man forced himself upon her.
Unable to watch the whole scene unfold, Brendan turned his gaze toward Bridey, who was the eighth and last in line, assuming Set planned to follow a linear path. Her expression betrayed anguish and dread as she watched the mating ritual unfold, knowing the same fate awaited her. When her eyes met Brendan’s, they pleaded with him for clemency, for release from her bindings.
Tears slipped from Brendan’s eyes as he projected his thoughts into Bridey’s mind. ‘Would that I could, but my own hands are metaphorically tied. I’m sorry, Bry.’
She nodded her understanding and drooped her head in resignation. It was enough to shatter Brendan’s heart and he hung his head in shame.
While Set took his time with each of the women, he did not need a recovery period. He truly is a God, Brendan thought bitterly.
As Set drew close to Samantha, Tyler jumped up and shouted, ‘No! Not her!’
Set paused and turned to face Tyler with a look of disdain.
Kek snarled at him. ‘How dare you disrespect our Dark Lord! Would you prefer to see her throat slit?’
‘It would be more merciful than subjecting her to him!’ He pointed angrily at Set.
Samantha nodded her agreement.
‘Shall I contact our assassin, Master?’ Damien pointed to the screen on the wall behind the women.
Brendan’s heart skipped a beat.
Tyler paled and dropped to his knees. ‘I’m sorry, Sam.’ He tried to lower his head, but Damien, who knelt beside him, leaned over and yanked Tyler’s head up, forcing him to watch as Set defiled one of the women he loved in exchange for saving the life of another.
Talk about a seriously fucked up trolley problem.
As Set finished with Samantha, the basement door burst open.
Brendan had never been so happy to see such a large bunch of Council warlocks. As they filed in, he spotted Hayes and pointed toward Damien and Harvey.
Hayes did not hesitate to lob two fireballs, dropping both douchebags to the floor in a pile of ash and bone.
Although surprised at first by the extreme force used, Brendan felt a perverse sense of satisfaction at seeing Damien toasted.
With the threat of Alannah’s death out of the way, Tyler rose and sent a chain lightning attack at the three dark elves and their God. ‘That’s for Samantha, you arseholes!’ The shock threw the elves back, either dead or unconscious.
But the bolt of electricity merely annoyed Set, who sauntered toward Tyler with a menacing scowl. A few warlocks tried to stop him, but he grabbed and flung them across the room, smashing their heads against the wall.
The remaining warlocks backed down like a bunch of cowards; all except Jaxon, who silently assessed the situation.
How does one stop an angry, rampaging God of chaos? That chapter was missing from all the mage textbooks.
With nowhere to run, Tyler visibly trembled as Set moved in for the kill.
Not willing to let the God of jerkdom crush Tyler, Brendan drew on his powers of persuasion as he leaped in front of Set. ‘Hey Set, buddy, old pal. Why waste your time with these idiots, when there is a whole world out there waiting for you? Think of all the lovely ladies who are ripe for the taking.’ He moved up and placed a friendly arm around Set’s back, since he could not reach the giant’s shoulders comfortably. ‘I’m what they call an expert in the art of seduction. Why don’t I take you out prowling for women?’
Set looked at him doubtfully. ‘You are a powerful enchanter. Why do you bother with seduction when you can take them?’
Brendan grinned. ‘Because there is more excitement in the chase when they are willing. But that’s my preference and quite beside the point. I know a great place to find some magic babes far more worthy than these offerings. Would you like me to show you?’
Caleb chose that moment to appear, distracting Set, and blocking the door as he stood frozen in abject horror.
‘Oh look, it’s my friend Caleb. He knows how to party too,’ Brendan added. ‘The two of us could take you out on the town and show you a good time.’
‘Mm, I am hungry for more women. Although I have not finished tasting the last of my offerings.’
Brendan waved a hand through the air. ‘Bah. You don’t want ’em. That one,’ he pointed to Tanya, ‘is as bland and boring as they come. She’s only ever been with one man in her life. I mean come on; she has vanilla written all over her. And her,’ he pointed to Bridey, ‘trust me when I say you ain’t missing much. I’ve been there, done that, along with most of the men in this city.’
Bridey’s eyes bugged out at Brendan’s blatant insult.
That’s gonna take some apologising when I get home. ‘Surely you want excitement from the women you take. I know I do.’
‘You make a fair point.’ Set let out a hearty laugh, eroding the mountain of tension in the room. ‘Very well. I trust you know this world better than I do now. Show me where to find the beautiful women.’
‘Okay, but first, you’ll need some glamour, so the humans don’t run screaming.’
‘But I like the sound of humans screaming,’ Set insisted.
With a chuckle, Brendan slapped Set on the arm. ‘A man after my own heart. Seriously though, you don’t want the humans to see you in this form or they will send their soldiers to attack you. Trust me when I say human warfare has advanced a lot since you left. Some of the weapons they use are more powerful than anything magical.’
A wide grin formed on Set’s face. ‘I like the sound of these modern humans and their weapons. Will you show me some?’
‘Of course. But glamour first.’
‘Okay,’ Set agreed.
Brendan cast a basic glamour spell making Set’s head appear human, hiding the tail, changing his skin to more of a chocolate colour instead of dark red, and applying a black suit in place of the skimpy loin cloth. ‘Okay, all set. Ah hell, I did not intend that pun, I swear.’
‘It is okay. I liked your pun,’ replied Set.
‘Christ! Remind me never to introduce you to my brother.’ Brendan seized Set’s arm and led him out of the basement, grabbing Caleb with his other arm on the way out.
‘Does your brother enjoy wordplays?’
‘Much too much. They are the only form of humour he attempts, and he does a pretty lousy job.’ Brendan slipped his burner phone subtly into Caleb’s pocket and spoke to him telepathically. ‘Message Jaxon. Tell him to prepare a space for a ritual sending and to find an acolyte or hierophant who knows how to send Set back to hell. Once he has it sorted, he should message us with a time and location.’
‘I get the sense you do not like your brother much,’ Set continued.
‘Ha! That’s an understatement. The bastard stole the love of my life. Oh, and he always had it too good.’
‘I understand envy and hatred towards one’s brother.’
Brendan recalled his knowledge of Egyptian history. ‘Do you mean Osiris?’
‘Yes. He was always the family favourite.’
‘I hear you man. Liam could do no wrong and always got everything he wanted.’
‘What form of vengeance have you enacted upon your brother?’
‘Are you kidding me? Liam is a powerful warlock and pretty much untouchable.’
‘Have you thought about killing him?’ Set asked.
‘Trust me, Set, I’ve dreamt of all the ways I could end him.’
‘Perhaps I could help. I love enacting vengeance.’
‘Hmm… maybe once you’ve finished with this City, we could go back to my hometown?’ Brendan suggested.
Set nodded, pausing to take in his surroundings as they stepped outside the building. ‘My word, humans have made some considerable advances in technology.’
‘With unsolicited help from their magic friends of course,’ Brendan pointed out. ‘When was the last time you came to earth, Set?’
‘I believe the year was 1038.’
A whistle slipped through Brendan’s lips. ‘The Middle Ages. That’s over nine hundred years ago. You’ve got a lot to catch up on. For one thing, you see those machines moving on the road?’
‘Yes.’
‘They are cars and they have replaced horses as the main mode of road transport.’
‘Indeed.’
‘Also, this country we are in? This is Australia: a large island nation in the southern hemisphere. Most of the human world did not know of its existence back then.’ Brendan started leading them toward a nearby unseelie club as he went on about the ways of the modern world, all with a view to keeping Set distracted from Caleb’s texting. ‘Oh, and dragons were driven to extinction.’
Set’s brows rose. ‘Really? How?’
‘Humans literally hunted them to death. They would have done the same to us mages and the other magical races if we hadn’t started using glamour. Most humans began subscribing to monotheistic religion and persecuted anyone practising the old ways. That said, we have reached a new age of enlightenment where religious, racial, and sexual tolerance is growing. Who knows, maybe one day we can coexist with humans openly again.’
They reached the club. ‘Well, here is the first stop on our tour. The place won’t be busy yet, though, ’cause it’s still early.’ As they stepped inside, a decent number of fae were already enjoying a drink at the bar. They all turned and gasped. ‘Oh right. The glamour spell only works on humans—these folk can see you for who you are.’
‘It is of no consequence.’
Brendan was inclined to disagree. Set was a God to these people and the Gods were not known to walk among them and drop into the local watering hole on a whim. But who am I to argue?
With a lustful eye, Set made his way over to one of the endarkened sitting in the lounge area. Her eyes widened with shock at the monstrous God standing above her. ‘I will start with you,’ he announced.
‘Excuse me?’ she replied with an air of sass.
But Set ignored her words as he grabbed her, eliciting a scream from the helpless woman.
Brendan cringed, but for his plan to work, he needed to keep Set occupied. So, he jumped on the bar and hollered, ‘Okay, listen up people. I am Lord Jet, Dark Syndicate Boss, and I bring a God before you. That’s right, a literal God. May I present Set, the Egyptian God of Chaos.’ He thrust his arm out toward Set for dramatic effect. ‘Tonight, I am declaring this bar to be Set’s breeding ground. Think of it like a dark Beltane where an actual God will honour the lucky babes. So, ladies, you have two options: either line up to become a willing recipient of Set’s lovin’ and let him rock your world like only a God can. Or cower in the corner and pray like hell he doesn’t turn his attentions on you, but I don’t fancy those odds. Either way, none of you can leave here before he finishes with you.’
Caleb stood near the door, shaking his head as he thought, ‘I don’t like this plan much, Winters.’
‘Well it’s the best I’ve got,’ Brendan replied telepathically. ‘Would you rather I unleash him upon the unsuspecting masses at a regular nightclub to keep him busy while the warlocks hatch their plan?’
‘Of course not, but I still don’t like forcing him upon anyone. Plus, this won’t go down well for you in the Syndicate ranks.’
‘I couldn’t give a shit about the Syndicate ranks. Right now, my priority is saving the world at large from the horrors this God can unleash upon them.’
Five drinks into the night and Brendan decided he better not go back for more else he become too inebriated to banish Set to hell. Surprisingly, over half the women in the unseelie bar had willingly offered themselves up to Set. Brendan could not help but think Set owed much success with the ladies to his own speech, and he felt a sense of pride in his oratory skills.
But as the night wore on and the consenting partners stopped lining up, things took a turn for the worse, and the heavy drinking commenced.
Caleb slumped over the bar next to Brendan, nursing his seventh or eighth drink. ‘I know Set’s old-school, but this shit is sick and twisted. I could never treat a woman like that.’
Brendan snorted. ‘No, but you let our woman treat you like that.’
‘Not cool, man.’ Caleb tried to hold Brendan’s eyes in a death glare, but his gaze was too unsteady.
‘Hey, I’m as pitiful as you. Bridey may not have used magic compulsion on me, but she coerced me in other ways. She did a lot of wrong shit to us and yet we both encouraged it and now we can’t imagine living without her.’
‘Yep, we’re one big fucked up family. Maybe you should change your surname to Hawthorn.’
With a smirk, Brendan leaned in closer to Caleb. ‘Are you proposing to me, Thornsy?’
A few laughs erupted from Caleb. ‘I’m sorry, but the thought of you legally married to anyone is too funny; although, I could totally imagine the three of us in a hand fasting, but good luck finding an acolyte willing to sanctify our union.’
A moment later, Set stepped up behind them, slapping them both on their shoulders. ‘Have another drink with me, men!’
‘Gladly,’ replied Caleb as he pushed his empty glass forward and threw another fifty down on the bar.
‘I’ll pass. I’ve had enough tonight,’ explained Brendan.
‘What? The night is young, and the alcohol has barely touched your system. You promised to have an enjoyable time with me tonight.’
‘Fine.’ Brendan groaned as he pushed his own glass forward. ‘I never thought I’d still succumb to peer pressure at the age of twenty-one.’
As they clinked their freshly filled glasses together, the phone in Caleb’s pocket beeped.
‘What was that?’ Set’s eyes darted from Caleb to Brendan.
‘What was what?’ Brendan asked nonchalantly.
‘The peculiar noise.’
Brendan shrugged. ‘Must be one of the machines behind the bar. How are you going with the ladies out there, Set? Have you had your fill already?’
His big burly chest rumbled with a deep chuckle. ‘I am far from satisfied, but there is only one damsel left for me to ravish.’
‘Why don’t you go violate her while Caleb and I work out where to take you next?’
Excitement radiated in orange sunbursts from Set’s uber aura. ‘You are a better servant than any of those stuffy old dark elves. They never took me drinking and whoring at the taverns like this.’ Turning away, Set stalked his last victim.
‘Please tell me that’s a newsworthy update,’ Brendan pleaded as he turned back to Caleb.
Caleb’s eyes lit up as he read the message, but his brow furrowed toward the end.
‘What is it? What’s wrong?’
‘They have a place setup, but they don’t have enough mages attuned to Aether.’
‘Shit! How many more do they need?’
‘Two.’
‘Wait, did they include you in their numbers?’
‘No, but I’m pretty plastered. I don’t know if I can do much magic.’
Brendan waved his hand dismissively. ‘Shouldn’t matter. All you need to do is channel the mana. Tell them you’ll do it and get them to ask the bookshop owner in Darlinghurst. They will also need to make sure Tyler is there.’
‘Will do.’
‘So where are we doing it?’
‘High Magus O’Grady’s house.’
Brendan gave him an impish grin as he replied, ‘Kinky.’
‘Your ability to shamelessly flirt in such dire times amazes me.’
‘So sue me for feeling horny after the free porn show Set put on for us.’
Caleb was gobsmacked. ‘Please tell me you haven’t enjoyed the sight of him raping women.’
‘Not the raping part. I’m talking about the women who threw themselves at him. As if you didn’t enjoy watching that.’
‘Maybe.’
‘You know, I kinda feel like I’ve bonded with the bastard. If it weren’t for his propensity to take without asking, I’d say it’s a shame to send him away.’
Shock spread across Caleb’s face. ‘You aren’t reconsidering, are you?’
‘Reconsidering what?’ Set had snuck up behind them.
Brendan startled, but swiftly regained his composure. ‘Caleb worried I would reconsider his suggestion for our next party destination. But I’m all in.’
Set’s eyes gleamed with devilish delight. ‘You have another venue arranged?’
‘Yes, we do,’ Caleb replied. ‘We should get going now if we want to make the most of the night.’
‘Good thinking,’ agreed Set.
They took a taxi to O’Grady’s harbour view mansion in Cremorne Point.
‘This does not look like a tavern,’ Set observed.
The driver cast a wary glance at Set.
Brendan paid for their fare and beckoned Set out the car. ‘Because it’s not. We are going to a private party. In this day and age, a lot of people have wild parties in their homes, and they are often a lot more fun than nights out at pubs and clubs. The drinking works out a lot cheaper too.’
‘Is this your house?’ Set eyed the place warily.
‘No. It belongs to a friend of ours. Come on.’ Brendan tugged on Set’s arm to encourage him inside.
As soon as they passed through the wards, Set stiffened. ‘This place feels wrong. I don’t like it.’
‘You are probably reacting to the wards. All mages put those up around their homes. It’s nothing to worry about.’ Brendan tried to sound as calm as possible, but a sliver of anxiety slipped through the cracks.
Set stood firm. ‘You are not being straight with me, Brendan. Why is that?’
‘I’m nervous about introducing you to my friends, okay? Some of them can be aloof or even hostile with strangers. Hopefully your divinity will help break the ice.’
After a moment of hesitation, Set nodded and followed them. ‘If this is a party, where is everyone?’
‘Downstairs, in the basement,’ Caleb replied.
Bemused, Set shook his head. ‘Modern people are strange.’ When Brendan flung open the door to the cellar, Set froze. ‘You tricked me; this is no party!’ His voice roared at a near-deafening volume. He attempted to back out of the doorway, but Caleb wrapped his arms around Set and Aether flowed from his hands, effectively trapping them together in a forcefield.
‘So much for being too drunk, Thornsy!’
With a smug grin, Caleb steered Set into the middle of the pentagram.
The Hierophant cast the circle and invited High Magus O’Grady, Acolyte Carran, Brendan, Caleb, and Tyler to join. After working together to bring the devil to Earth, it made sense for Brendan and his doppelganger to join once more and send Set back to hell.
As the four Aether users worked together to bind Set in celestial shackles, Brendan visualised the fiery pits, pulling the stygian element into his mana conduits. He could also feel the power flowing into him from Tyler—like he had in the summoning ritual earlier—only this time, the connection was stronger. It was as though Tyler’s willingness to help intensified their doppelganger bond.
When the time came for Brendan to perform his part, he closed his eyes and spoke the mantra, ‘We banish thee Set. You are no longer welcome on Earth. Return to the fiery pits.’ After a minute of chanting, Brendan began to tire and Set was still resisting, crying out in pain as he did so.
Set snarled in his mind. ‘You will pay for your betrayal, puny mage!’
Guilt tugged at Brendan’s heart, and he felt the need to explain. ‘The world has changed too much, and it is no longer acceptable to treat women the way you do.’
‘Bah! Men have grown soft. I should take you with me and toughen you up.’
‘Not gonna happen, Set.’ Brendan reached into the last of his reserves as he sent a blast of hellfire at Set.
The God retaliated, using the fire to burn the flesh above Brendan’s heart.
Brendan yelped and doubled over in pain. As it eased, everyone else fell silent, and he opened his eyes. The middle of the circle was empty, which meant they had successfully vanquished Set. He expelled a large breath and grinned as he glanced around the room. But the others wore apprehensive looks, and when he could not see Caleb, fear and understanding clenched his chest. ‘Where is he? Where is Caleb?’
True remorse showed in Tyler’s expression as he spoke, ‘I’m sorry, Brendan. Set took Caleb with him.’
With those five words, Brendan felt the world cave in around him.