Dark Tidings: Ancient Magic Meets the Internet Book 1 (18 page)

Four suited men sat around a magnificent, antique mahogany table. Each man, hand on head, stared at his own reflection in the gleaming wood.

“There is great strangeness afoot. Bad things are happening all over the city. We really must get a handle on the situation.”

“I agree. So many extraordinary goings-on recently, it can’t be mere coincidence. And that bizarre scene at the Ritz leaves me in no doubt that something momentous is happening. I think we are seeing the beginning of something incredible unfolding.”

“We’re definitely living in interesting times… let’s hope it doesn’t get too interesting.”

“We need to decide what we’re going to do about it all, but before we make any significant decisions, let’s hear the reports about the coins.”

“Yes. We should have all the information available before we debate our next steps.”

On his instruction, the agents who had been tracking the coins were ushered into the room and the four men listened to the lengthy reports of how the Aethelreds had been traced to their source.

To date, they’d successfully tracked seven of the coins. Six trails led back to an old bearded man with a messy mop of long grey hair. He’d traded single coins in ‘Sell your Gold’ and antique shops. The storekeepers all gave similar descriptions of the man and they all remarked that there was something a little strange about him; something very old-fashioned which they couldn’t quite put their fingers on.

The last coin trail led back to a young, smart-looking man. He didn’t fit the pattern, but all the information they could gather was important. This was just another piece in the complex jigsaw.

When the agents left, the four men discussed the reports they’d heard.

“So, the coins are linked to the events at the Ritz Hotel.”

“Yes, it appears so. It seems the old man is the link.”

“And we shouldn’t forget that the epicentre of the great KABOOM noise appears to have been somewhere around the Ritz.”

“We should dedicate all our local resources to tracking down the old man and his companion. And clearly the Ritz is the place to start.”

They summoned the captain of the Occultus Populous agents and gave him a detailed briefing, stressing the importance and urgency of his mission. The manhunt was underway.

“All we can do is wait until they find them.”

“Not quite. While they search the city for these men, I will search our document archives. As you know, I researched the archives as part of my training when I was a young man and I have a niggling feeling there’s something in there that’ll help us solve this puzzle.”

“Good luck with that. No one goes near those documents anymore, so you’ll probably spend more time dusting than reading.”

It was true, the archives had been neglected for years. Access to them was discouraged because most believed all they contained was myth and mythology, and the Council didn’t want anyone propagating the old fantasies and deflecting the organisation from its more tangible pursuit, namely the pursuit of wealth and power.

A few hours later he’d retrieved a small, carefully chosen selection of manuscripts from the enormous library stored in the basement. He’d known exactly what he was looking for and they were now spread haphazardly across the table.

“These are the oldest documents we have. Something in the back of my mind tells me the answer lies in here somewhere.”

He scoured the parchments, searching for clues. The day was nearly over when he banged the table with his fist.

“Yes,” he shouted. “Yes.”

The others gathered round him.

“Here, here’s the one I was looking for. Listen to this, this piece was written by Gravalar, one of the founders of our great Society and the original Great Grand Master.”

His finger rested halfway down the parchment. It was written in Salatin, an ancient language which pre-dated Latin by a good two thousand years. He read out loud, translating as he went.

“We tracked them by the day and rested only when the darkness cloaked our passage. We followed the evidence left by their magic-making. We gleaned information from the peasants of the land. The trail led us to an old tavern which overlooked the sea. We entered and there were many people. Through the crowd, we caught a brief sight of the thieves. One was an old man with a lengthy grey beard and black angled eyebrows. His hair was long, grey and dishevelled. The other was a young man with curled black hair.”

He scanned the rest of the page and then turned to the next, muttering as he read the words to himself. At last he reached the part he was looking for.

“We shattered the door and burst into their sleeping chamber. And they were there. And then they were gone. And with them was the Scroll. My belief told me they had shifted through time. This too was the conclusion of the Great Grandee.”

He paused and looked at the others.

“It’s them. The thieves have arrived in our time, I have no doubt. Listen again to the description of the old man
…
a long grey beard and long, grey, dishevelled hair
.
That’s the description of the person who’s been selling the coins. Add that to all the strange things that have been happening… they’re here and they’ve brought magic with them.”

The men sat in silence for a minute or two.

“This is it. We must gather the Council.”

“I agree and we must do it immediately.”

“This is why our Society has been in existence for a thousand years. We are the chosen ones, because the prophecy is beginning to happen as we speak.”

“By all that is sacred, we are blessed. We are about to witness a momentous event unfold before our very eyes.”

They knew what they had to do so they did it. They started the process which would lead to the gathering of the Occultus Populous Council. This would be the first time the full Council had been convened in over two hundred and fifty years.

Word was about to go out across the globe to the forty-eight members of the Great Council of the Occultus Populous. A full Council meeting was to be convened.

Up until the late twentieth century, communication had been slow and complicated. Now, the latest technology kept individual members in regular contact with each other. Connections could be established at any time of the day or night and sophisticated electronic voting mechanisms facilitated long distance policymaking and collective decisions. And what did they mainly use this for? Answer, to inform members about initiatives which offered opportunities to make money. Making money had become the priority… money, money, money. Their greed knew no bounds. Fortunes were being made without the inconvenience of spending time with other members, in fact, they hadn’t all been together for nearly two hundred and fifty years.

The last full meeting had been in 1789 when the French Revolution and other peasant unrest across Europe had spooked the ruling classes. At the same time the US Bill of Rights had been adopted. The common people were becoming too organised and the elite were beginning to lose control. The bloody uppity plebs had forgotten their places. A meeting was convened with a view to sorting out the peasant classes, and sort them out it did. Great plans which shaped the future of the world were agreed and put in place. Within ten years, the common man was back in his place and the rightful order had been restored. The rich and powerful had regained full control and again they all slipped back into the background. The power of the Occultus Populous was undeniable, but of course only they knew that. Only they knew who was in charge and making the big decisions which shaped peoples’ lives.

From the beginning, each member of the Council had control over his own geography. These people were the monarchs, the presidents, the business leaders, a few legendary criminal geniuses and the super-rich. These people were the ones who initiated great global events, but they always pre-warned other members so everyone could take advantage. World Wars One and Two were perfect examples. Those two events alone had made eye-watering sums of money for many of the members. Okay, millions had been killed, but that was the way it had to be… the common man had to make sacrifices so the rich and powerful could become richer and more powerful still.

Now, a coming together of circumstances in the United Kingdom had the potential to threaten their power once again, so it demanded their collective attention. This time, it wasn’t a mass rising like the French Revolution. This time, it was much more threatening. This time there was magic afoot. And the magic was in the hands of commoners.

The encrypted and top secret email invitation arrived in the inbox of all forty-eight Council members virtually simultaneously. Each one read the message and immediately began rearranging their schedules and commitments, so they could attend the Council meeting. Not one of them considered, not for even a second, missing the meeting. Everything else faded into the background. The meeting took precedence. This had a ripple effect in some very high places around the world as crucial business dealings were put on hold, royal public engagements were cancelled and major plans were delayed.

By way of preparation, the members organised immediate and full briefings. They demanded to see every piece of evidence collected so far and studied each item in minute detail; they all wanted to be ready for the meeting.

While worldwide arrangements were being made, the men who sent the email continued their investigation into the strange happenings around their city.

Sir Samuel Buckingham, the Chairman of the International Investment Bank of Europe, was talking to a fellow bank director in his office when his message announced its arrival by beeping on his PC.

“Excuse me, I must deal with this immediately,” he said when he saw the subject line. “Please leave me alone, I will get in touch when we can resume our discussion.”

“No problem,” said the man he was meeting, although it clearly was a problem. The look on his face betrayed the fact that he felt his position as a senior director of the bank was not being respected.

“Oh, and on your way out,” said Buckingham, “please tell my secretary to hold all calls until further notice.”

“Of course, sir,” said the man as he left Sir Samuel to whatever it was that was so important.

Sir Samuel waited until the door had closed, before opening the small safe which was cleverly hidden in the wall behind him, he removed the de-encryption device and deftly hooked the little dongle into his computer. He disconnected the PC from the network and leaned close to the screen on his desk before he opened the email and read it carefully. The words were exactly as he’d agreed them, just like he knew they would be. Precise wording was vital to eliminate ambiguity and leave no room for misunderstanding.

Subject: Pricing Reports Now Available ref ALPP119829837

This was the only part of the email which was unencrypted. The meaningless subject line wouldn’t raise any suspicions amongst the hundreds of emails which passed across each recipient’s desktop every day. They’d all recognise the secret number immediately and follow procedure, just as Buckingham was doing now.

Settling into his chair, he waited for the dongle to do its thing. After a few seconds, the body of the email had been de-encrypted and he began to read.

Subject: Pricing Reports Now Available ref ALPP119829837

After solemn and due consideration, the European Executive of the Occultus Populous has deemed it appropriate and necessary to convene a meeting of the full Grand Council. This decision has been ratified by the Great Grand Master.

Magic which is outside our control has been used on at least twelve different occasions. Our research has concluded that the time travellers have arrived with the Scroll.

Council members will congregate at their designated locations at 07.45 GMT 17 inst..

His eye ran down the locations, it was an impressive array of buildings; every one of them highly prestigious and iconic, including his own, the headquarters of the International Investment Bank of Europe.

The email was electronically signed by the four Masters of the European Executive.

He’d already made all the preparations he could at his end. He’d gathered all the evidence and he’d written and practised his opening speech. Even he was slightly nervous about the occasion. You didn’t bring together the world’s most influential people and then fluff your lines.

He’d organised for two of his most experienced Occultus Populous agents to ready the secret teleconferencing facility; this facility would be the hub of the meeting. Nothing was going to interfere with their gathering, particularly not a problem with the technology.

Four fellow Council members would physically join him in London for the meeting. They’d stay in private quarters on the top floor of the building, away from prying eyes, and they’d stay for as long as it took to agree a plan of action.

Buckingham reclined in his leather chair and pondered the gravity of the situation. He was well aware of all the strange incidents which were going on in London; his City. He, as Great Grand Master, had been regularly briefed since the first suspected magic episode. The incidents kept happening and the evidence of the presence of the travellers had mounted to a point where he’d had no alternative but to ratify the decision to convene a full Council meeting. It was clearly the only possible course of action.