The Tapestry (4 page)

   
The very next second he was outside his house travelling across the city at a speed that seemed impossible. The city went by in a blur of light trails.

                                                     
CHAPTER 6

   
This one wasn’t going to get away
thought Saul as he focused his mind on bringing Gavin's spirit to him. He had tried many times to bring a soul to him. It was the only power he had not been able to master as yet. Sure he had stolen a soul once before, but he hadn’t been on hallowed ground at the time. Everything was a hundred times harder on hallowed ground.

    He had a feeling about this one though. The soul he was stealing was the darkest he had felt for a very long time. The mind was twisted with some sort of dementia. If it were coloured it would be a dark purple mottled with patches of black running through red veins. He had to wait un
til just the right moment as a soul cannot be taken from a living person. They have to have just passed on.

    When he felt Gavin's soul break free from its earthly inhibitor Saul began the incantation. After the incantation, which was spoken in the language of the angels, w
hich is Enochian,
(for your own safety I wont repeat the words here)
he began to chant in English.

                                          ‘Bring thy soul through the air

                
                         To serve before your master here’ 

                                         ‘Bring thy soul through the air

                    
                    To serve before your master here’

                                        ‘Bring thy soul through the air

                     
                    To serve before your master here’

    And so he did. Before Gavin had a chance to even consider what was happening, or where he was going, he was in an old warehouse that looked pretty abandoned.

    He was able to stand before Saul, which felt good.

    Saul appeared to Gavin as a man. The two men stood face to face in the gloomy surroundings. It was Saul that spoke first.

   
‘My name is Saul, I have brought you here because I know of your misery and woe. I have watched your plight through your very own eyes. I am going to offer you the power to take the most outrageous revenge on your enemies. They will all die at your hand. You will have whatever riches you desire. You will live forever in riches and glory, rule the Earth if you so wish. All I ask is that you contract your soul to me and my bidding until I have no further use of you and then you will be free to satisfy your own desires.’

    Gavin wasn’t really sure what was happening. Five minutes ago he was dying, and then he was watching himself die. And now he was being offered all the power and riches he could ever want...how?

    The voice was booming, it seemed to come from the strange man but also from everywhere else, the shadows in the corner, the rats scuttling across the floor, even inside his own head.

    ‘If you refuse my offer then you should be no more and go to where your destiny lied before you met me on this night’.

    Gavin was in awe of this man called Saul who stood before him. He was a good head and shoulders above Gavin. He wore what looked like a very expensive suit, which was odd considering the surroundings. The suit was very dark; it seemed to absorb any of the natural light that seeped in through the windows. In fact it seemed blacker than the shadows which seemed to shy away from this awesome being. For that is what he truly was, Gavin knew that as soon as he spoke. His voice resonated authority that would not be denied, but it was his eyes that sent a chill down Gavin's newly returned spine. When Saul had spoken to him, the eyes had turned from a deep purple to a crimson red. They were now back to purple. He knew this man had brought him from death across the city to appear before him. He didn't know how but this god like creature had summoned
him
.

    This was for
real; he didn't feel like he was dreaming anymore. He had just been given an option but he already knew his answer. He had vowed to avenge his princess, and it would appear that his prayers had just been answered.

    ‘DO YOU ACCEPT?’ bellowed Saul. The bluntness of the question along with the many decibels that joined brought Gavin to his “dubious” senses.

    ‘I... I... do, that is... I would like to... I think... yes’, stammered Gavin.

    ‘Good... then it is agreed
. You will do as I require until it is time for you to leave this place. Then you shall do as your heart desires’.

    Over the following weeks Gavin had no need to leave the confines of the warehouse. Saul knew he couldn’t just transfer his powers to Gavin and then let him be on his way. That would be like giving a five year old the controls of a nuclear warhead
.

    No he had to nurture him, he also had to become his friend and gain his trust. He spent a little time each day with the transference, little by little, drop by drop. This was done by mixing blood and hair from the two of them together which was then drunk by
Gavin.

    It took a week before Gavin's docile mind managed to initiate any sort of magical feat. He was still so upset at the loss of Michelle. Saul could have just conjured up another “Michelle” for him to fawn over but wasn’t sure if he would be more or less focused than before. So what he did instead was he made the surroundings more comfortable for him.

    He magically transformed the inside of the warehouse into a plush hotel type lounge room with a bar. The bar was a very large polished oak effect that ran along the north wall. There were marble pillars of a bronze hue, four of them in all that led your eyes toward a ceiling that rivalled the Sistine chapel. Only the figures in this masterpiece were always moving, writhing together. Humans and demons having unholy sex that really should have scared the life out of Gavin, but he could hardly tear his gaze from that beautifully sinister ceiling.

    A chandelier of enormous proportion hung from the centre of that ceiling. Sometimes he would see some creature that looked like a shadow resting on that chandelier... just watching him. He only knew it was watching him because of its intense yellow eyes that appeared from the blackness of
its form. He felt as if the creature was trying to bore through his body with those eyes. Nevertheless, he never once felt scared. And he felt sure that was because he knew this magnificent man Saul was not going to let any harm come to him.

    Although it had taken Saul many human lifetimes to acquire and master his dark powers, it took only a very small amount of time for the transference, and then for Gavin to become fluent in the use of the dark powers. This is because Saul had already mastered them and had only to teach. It was only a matter of weeks
before Gavin conjured his first successful life form. He produced a white dove out of thin air. He had seen it done so many times as a child. He knew there was a trick to it, but now... he had done it for real. All he had to do was think about it... and it appeared.

    Saul took a ride with it as it flew from the warehouse/hotel. It flew up above the trees and over a nearby housing estate. Saul was bursting with anticipation. Not knowing what... but sure something fantastic was about to happen.

    And so it did, the bird homed in on a staggering drunk, obviously on his way home from a night of revelry in the local pub. He seemed to be in good cheer, as he was singing to the great empty, but also unjudging audience as he staggered. This wasn’t to last for long.

    Within a matter of seconds, the bird had swooped down and landed on the man’s shoulder. He tried to shoo it away but to no avail. Then came first blood, the bird literally tore a chunk out of the man’s cheek... the singing turned to screams
.

    Saul felt a smile growing on his demonic face as he realised this wasn’t just a fucked up bird.

    The little white dove had teeth in its beak, little tiny razor sharp teeth. Gavin had done well and he didn't even know it yet.

    The bird persisted until the man was on the floor. His arms were flailing about him like a dysfunctional windmill, but the bird was relentless. It resembl
ed a scene from Mr Hitchcock’s “The Birds” as it chewed on the eyeball it had just ripped from the socket of the poor drunkard. It then chewed through the carotid artery in the man’s neck as if it were an afterthought before it flew into the night.

    The demon was very pleased with Gavin that night. He offered to conjure as many women for him as he desired, and for the first time, he nearly accepted. This was good, for although his love for Michelle was still strong, the evil inside him was growing.

    Gavin and Saul were now close friends
, (or at least as friendly as you can get with a demon).

    The days were spent with bloodletting and teaching, however, Gavin was a fast learner and the demon knew the day would come soon for Gavin to leave, but before he did... Saul needed a kill from him. He needed to know that Gavin was now pure evil and was strong enough to fight for him.

    ‘And so it is on this night my friend that you shall leave this place, and bring back one of your own kind. You will then be rid of them in the most fantastic way imaginable. I want you to really show me what you have learned from me. And then I will let you leave here my brethren’.

    The request did not seem strange to Gavin at all, not as strange as it would have done a couple of months back. He knew Saul was only imparting his wisdom and power because he wanted revenge himself. They had discussed the terms and agreed.

    Besides, he didn't feel any loyalty to his fellow man anymore. He had been betrayed and lost the only person he would ever love. And now with this plethora of dark magic and super strength, what could they do to him now?

    He knew the only person he had to fear was Saul. Although he wasn’t so sure of how true that was anymore. He knew Saul couldn’t leave the prison
, although the demon had never explained in full, just that he may be in danger if he left and this is why he needed Gavin.

    Even so, Saul was the only person to help him when he needed it. Saul came to
his rescue and he wasn’t about to consider betraying him.

                              
                        
CHAPTER SEVEN

    Gavin found his new powers were even stronger than he had dared imagine. The first place he went to was a bar named The Fiddlers Green in Levenshulme.

    It was almost as if he were a celebrity, everyone wanted to be his friend. The reason for this is because he charmed a spell so that every woman saw their perfect man when they saw him, and every man saw the man they wanted to be.

    He ordered a double brandy and took in his surroundings. It was obviously an Irish bar, that was a given from the name. It was quite a large bar which appeared to have two floors although the top floor seemed to be a balcony of sorts.

    Although he had lived in Levenshulme for many years now, he had never been to The Fiddlers or any other pub for that matter. He had lacked the confidence before... but now... well, now he could feel the confidence oozing from his pores.

    He felt as if nothing could go wrong. It was like electricity shooting through his veins, in fact he felt like... a god.

    He went and sat at one of the few empty tables near the karaoke machine. It seemed like the rejects from x-factor were out in force tonight.

    There was a bit of a no hoper on at the moment, some young doleite he thought. Giving his rendition of Chris de Burghs classic “The Lady in Red”, which Gavin thought should be re-titled “The Lady Is Deaf” for this particular performance.

    It had been so long since he had enjoyed the sweet taste of his favourite poison. He sipped slowly whilst watching the next victim getting ready to make an absolute fool of himself.

    There was a gaggle of girls drinking at the far end of the bar nearest the karaoke area. They were looking over to Gavin and they all seemed awestruck. It looked like they were daring each other to go over and speak to the stranger. He saw this and was amused as he could will any one of them to come to him right now without uttering a word, but he was enjoying the game so he let it carry on for a little while.