Influence (15 page)

It was dark
now, and a strong breeze, which had not been present when she had arrived,
seemed to be signalling a change in the weather. The small crowd made their way
out of the lane and Lizzie soon lost track of their route and direction
entirely. The crowd which left the pub as one soon fractured into small groups,
conversing amongst themselves. Void walked with Lizzie maintaining their
position at the back. ‘The first thing you need to realise is that we are
unofficial, Kara is right about that. And she’s also right about keeping all
this quiet. We are a circle within a circle, and the outer circle doesn’t know
about our get-togethers and I suspect knowledge of it would not go down well so
please keep all this on the down low, cool?

‘Cool,’
assured Lizzie, though she was, if anything, more lost than ever and so in no
position to divulge anything to anyone. She again was dying to ask so many
questions but knew she had to let the information come without inquisition.
They walked on and Lizzie waited for Void to give her some indication of what
was to come, but only small talk was forthcoming. Lizzie wondered where the
hell they were going, the darkness had thrown her sense of direction off and
they had been walking now for a good ten minutes, she had only the vaguest idea
of where she was.

The group
ahead of her had stopped, their destination reached. Lizzie looked around as
they caught up to them. To begin with she was completely lost but then the others
parted slightly and she caught sight of the door they stood in front of, it was
unmistakable. Two impossibly massive doors set within an arch, each intricately
decorated and etched. The seals of each of the university’s colleges adorned
the panels of the doors and it seemed only a giant could possibly have strength
enough to push them open. Lizzie had been here before, had visited on her first
trip to Oxford and a few times since. The decadent and splendid entrance to the
Bodleian Library made seemingly impossible promises of what lay within, however
she knew the library delivered, and then some. If the University of Oxford was
indeed a dismembered body then the Bodleian Library was the beating heart at
the middle of everything.

Lizzie knew
that opening the massive door wasn’t necessary, a small wicket-door was set
within its titan parent, which Kara found without difficulty, opened and
stepped through, closely followed by the others. All conversation now ceased.
Lizzie and Void brought up the rear and Kara carefully closed the door behind
them. Lizzie knew she now stood in the Old Schools Quadrangle, a courtyard
normally filled with tourists with clucking cameras, from here the sprawling
library was set on every side.

A light
drizzle was beginning to fall and a low rumble of thunder echoed through the
empty courtyard giving the illusion that the walls themselves grumbled with
foreboding.

A small man
appeared from behind them out of a booth Lizzie had not noticed on her way in.
The glass fronted box was for taking money or directing tourists through the
labyrinthine buildings. The man, a caretaker by the looks of him, approached, a
self-rolled cigarette hanging from his bottom lip. ‘I’m shuttin doors at eleven
prompt you lot, whether you be in or out. Just so’s yous know.’ Kara spun on
her heels.

‘If you
lock us in here old man I’ll come looking for ya. Just so’s you know alright?’
she said without a hint of humour.

‘I were
only jesting young un. I’ll be in booth if you need ought,’ the old man waddled
back suitably chastised. Kara led on, the heel of her black boots clicked sharply
on the cobbled ground and, like the thunder, the noise batted around the walls.
A dimly lit door way to their left led them out of the courtyard and into one
of the main buildings making up the library. Like the university itself the library
was a Frankenstein’s monster of individual parts brought together in some
mysterious way. Lizzie had visited the library on a few occasions and was, each
time, struck by the grandeur and history of the place. A guided tour would take
you through the library’s own story, how it was built on over time to become
the marvel it was today. A guide would happily show off the facilities of the
library - opulent halls and quaint reading rooms as well as any number of
unventured ups and downs, not accessible to the public, would flash by on the
whistle-stop tour.

‘You okay?’
asked Void, the look on Lizzie’s face evidently concerning him.

‘Fine,
yeah, just not sure where we’re going.’

‘You’ll
see,’ was all that Void said, the small grin on his face telling her nothing. A
series of lefts and rights that Lizzie had failed to memorise brought the group
to a long corridor at the end of which lay stone steps leading both up and
down. A red rope cordoned off the stairs below, this Kara removed at one end
letting it drop to the floor. Lizzie now found herself in the middle of the
group, penned in. The already dark stairwell grew dimmer still as they descended.
As the light disappeared Lizzie felt a solid hand on her shoulder. They must
now be under street level, or maybe that was just an illusion she thought, but
the descent seemed to go on and on. The person in front of Lizzie stopped
abruptly causing her to walk into their back, a spark somewhere in front and a
candle was lit. Kara stood in front of a wooden door which she pushed open and
the line continued on. Once inside Lizzie stood by the door, in case it turned
out to be the only exit. Members of the group began busying themselves lighting
candles and before long the whole room came into soft focus.

A large
square chamber with a surprisingly high ceiling, given its subterranean
position, spread out before her. Lizzie’s breath left her in wisps of steam in
the bitter cold. A damp but not unpleasant smell filled her nostrils. The stone
walls and floor were illuminated by a series of strategically placed massive
candelabras. Suitably large red candles, which had seen plenty of use judging
by the pools of wax on the floor below them, glowed casting the room into
increasingly greater focus; and that’s when she saw it, on the floor amid the
sets of candles. 

The sight
of the pentacle – Robe’s pentacle, sent a flee instinct through her. She backed
toward the door her heart in her mouth. Kara was bent over a section of the
huge inscription with a large rock of white chalk repairing faded symbols and
broken sections of the outer circle. The remaining group members were either
performing other jobs or talking amongst themselves and Lizzie sensed her
opportunity. Two members heaved a heavy dark coloured fabric sheet over a
massive ornate mirror hung on one wall while others lit candles and talked in
low whispers to one another.  She turned to see how far she was from the door
only to find Void closing it. She halted her step as he looked at her with a
look of concern on his face, most likely caused by Lizzie’s own expression. She
forced her mouth into a smile and Void’s face relaxed. He placed his hand on
her shoulder. ‘There’s something we need to do before we get started, don’t
worry though it’s relatively painless. Come on.’

He directed
her toward the centre of the room – the centre of the pentacle. Lizzie could
now see the very back of the room where a stone slab sat, behind which stairs
descended impossibly further, she guessed that route would be an unsuitable
escape. ‘We good to go?’ Void asked Kara.

‘Yeah let’s
get started,’ Kara was dusting off her hands, a small cloud of white falling
from her. ‘Places everyone,’ without discussion or uncertainty the group split
and formed a loose circle around the edges of the seven pointed star including
Void who left her there with Kara. Lizzie looked at her feet, and at the Oxford
seal below her boots. ‘Lizzie,’ the sound of Kara speaking her name was like a
slap to the face, she looked into the face of the girl. ‘You’ll need to go
through this again when we form for the next official gathering but there’s no
harm in repeating it. We’ve all done this and it’s a necessary part of
proceedings. Kara took Lizzie’s hands in hers. ’Welcome, Lizzie to the Esoteric
Council,’ EC – thought Lizzie. ‘Your decision to join us should not be taken
lightly, and nor should our rules and demand for the utmost discretion. ‘Repeat
after me: I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, or to mark,
deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document, or other object belonging
to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library or kindle therein any
fire or flame.’ Lizzie repeated the words, her face twisting slightly at the mention
of not bringing fire into the library considering the almost ridiculous number
of candles currently aflame in the room. ‘I know,’ said Kara quietly for Lizzie’s
ears only, ‘but this room has special dispensation, however the sentiment
behind the oath is a vital one, you’ll understand later. Please take your place
Lizzie.’ Lizzie looked around, the other members stood solemnly at the each
point of the star hands rigid against their sides, leaving two points unattended.
Void motioned with a sideways flick of his head and Lizzie walked to the edge
of the circle, turned, and faced inwards. Kara took the remaining place,

‘Tonight we
will perform a simple Agni ritual, if we are all in agreement?’ said Kara, the
other members muttered their approval, and Lizzie wondered if the translation
of “Agni” was something like - sacrifice the new girl.

As one the
group lowered their chins to their chests and closed their eyes, their arms
raised, hands overlapped across their hearts. Lizzie copied but kept her eyes
open, too terrified to allow herself to become any more vulnerable than she
already felt. Kara spoke, something Lizzie did not understand in a low voice,
her own arms moved from her chest to an open gesture. A response, in a tongue
Lizzie assumed to be the same as Kara’s came strong and perfectly unified from
the others. Kara continued and Lizzie watched on waiting, dreading. After a few
minutes of unintelligible exchange Lizzie could sense an unease settling over
the ceremony. A few members opened their eyes briefly, each time they did
Lizzie closed hers. When again she opened them she caught Void’s eyes. He
nodded to her, he bore a serious expression and Lizzie took it to be a signal
to concentrate. Lizzie resigned herself to the fact that she could go nowhere
and the more she resisted the greater the danger she was placing herself in.

She lowered
her head, clamped her eyes shut and listened to the words. By now a familiarity
through repetition was forming in her mind and she tried to join the chant, her
voice softer than those around her. The room was no longer cold, not at all.
Perhaps it was due to the candles and the combined body heat in an enclosed
area but it had taken very little time.

The warmth
was a comfort and she began to relax a little. The words were coming easier now
and she joined her volume to the others. Her eyes remained closed and she felt
more and more at ease, she no longer feared for herself. The words came almost
from somewhere else now. They left her with conviction and purpose. A heat
within her rose and she was aware only of the words she did not know, but
voiced them like a life-long practiced mantra. The rising heat enveloped her
and she rejoiced inside, her whole body sang, resonating with the pulse of the
words. All thoughts of anything but the moment were a distant memory. There was
no room, no Council, no danger, just the words which needed to be spoken. She
was oblivious to how much time had passed, maybe seconds maybe hours.

Slowly at
first, but with increasing realisation she again became aware of her
surroundings.  The words still left her automatically but now she sensed she
spoke them alone. Her eyes flew open and her tongue stopped dead in her mouth.
Every face in the room stared at her but Lizzie was less concerned with that
than the huge candelabras which now blazed fire high into the air as if
supplied by gas mains. They roared bluish green flame and sweat was gathering
across Lizzie’s face from the intense heat they produced. Then suddenly they
guttered out. The sudden retraction caused some of the candles to extinguish
completely while others returned to their ordinary small orange flame.

‘Holy
fucking shee-ite, did you see that?’ said Kara in obvious delight.

‘We’ve
never had a result like that before, damn it, we should have had the camera
here for this.’ Void’s voice was high and fast. He walked over to Lizzie, who
stood stunned. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and lifted her a few
inches into the air. Lizzie arms remained by her sides trapped within his
embrace.

Over the
next hour the tense ceremony of the evening gave way to casual chatter. Lizzie
remained confused and disturbed by, well whatever the hell had just happened,
however fear for her personal safety began to fade. The positive feeling in the
room, and all the enthusiastic congratulations were infectious, even if she had
absolutely no idea for what she was being congratulated.

Eventually
Kara walked to the centre of the room and raised both arms in the air grabbing
the attention and silence of those present.

‘Guys,’ she
said, ‘Thank you for your efforts tonight, and what a great result I’m sure
you’ll agree. However all good things and all that crap, so we’ll call it a
night there. It’s such a pity our learned leader couldn’t have been here to
witness this, and a pity we could not put this one down on video to watch back,
but I think we can repeat the result next time.

In the
Curate’s absence then I wish you all a good night and in his words:
knowledge
is power, so arm yourselves and let no man stand against you
,’