Dark Tidings

Chapter 38 - The Great and the Good

The members of the Council gathered at the designated locations at the precise pre-arranged hour. This was the most important gathering there had ever been in modern history.

Many of them were described as 'the great and the good' but they were in fact the greedy and the bad. It was only their relentless publicity machines which ensured that the world saw them in a completely different light.

As Chairman of the Council and Great Grand Master of the Occultus Populous, Samuel Buckingham took the lead.

"We're gathered together on this momentous occasion to fulfil the destiny of our Society. Our mission, set for us over a thousand years ago, was to track down a pair of renegade time-travellers who had stolen the most precious of all the spell scrolls. I believe those thieves have arrived in our time, so we now have the opportunity to complete our mission."

Buckingham expected forty-seven pairs of eyes to be watching him deliver his opening speech. He expected to be heard by forty-seven pairs of ears. He was wrong. Three unexpected sets of eyes and ears were taking in the spectacle.

Michael, Madrick and Tung clustered around the giant TV and watched the world's great men discuss the travellers or, to personalise it, discuss them. It was frightening but also quite exciting to be the centre of attention for some of the world's most important people.

"They formed this secret society just to catch us?" said Tung puffing out his chest and tilting his nose in the air.

Michael could tell that he just didn't grasp the significance of what he was watching nor the danger it posed. How could he, when he had no inkling of how much power these men weilded?

"They formed the Society just to catch us," he repeated, adding tight lips and a gentle head nod to his already smug pose.

"Looks like it," said Michael. "And it sounds as if you guys have been on their most wanted list for a thousand years. They're determined to catch you, that's for sure."

No one took their eyes off the screen. They didn't want to miss anything. They watched Buckingham describe the actions which had led him to convene the meeting. By way of illustration, he showed everyone pictures of the sixteen Aethelreds.

"These are what confirmed our suspicions about the thieves. They're from the era the travellers left and every one of them is in pristine condition. There were only a handful of examples of these coins anywhere and then, within a few days, sixteen turn up. We initiated an investigation and traced most of them back to an old man. His description matches the person who left some very strange items in a hotel room."

Buckingham played a recording of the news broadcast from outside the Ritz.

"And this shield," he said slamming it on the table for effect, "is from the same time period as the Aethelreds. And look at it, it's in perfect condition too."

"So that's where the shield went," said Madrick.

Buckingham described other mysteries which had occurred including the great noise which had virtually paralysed part of the city.

"We concluded that these incidents could only have been caused by magic, so we initiated a search. We've not got any solid leads yet but we will continue to interview everyone who came into contact with the thieves. I now throw the meeting open."

"No leads so far. That's good," said Michael. "We mustn't waste any time though; these people have unimaginable resources at their disposal so, if they pick up our trail, they'll close in on us faster than... the blink of an eye." He'd stopped himself saying 'faster than a cheetah bringing down a lame gazelle' because cheetahs and gazelles would be mysteries to these guys and anyway, the image was a bit too graphic and gory given the circumstances.

The Meeting continued as the members asked questions and raised concerns. Michael, Madrick and Tung listened intently. It was terrifying to watch the most powerful men on earth talking about how they were going to hunt them down. Worse still to hear about the pain and maiming these people were planning for them.

"We should use medieval torture techniques and teach them a lesson they'll understand"

"I vote for the head crusher," suggested one of the delegates.

"What's that?" said another.

"We clamp the victim's head between a metal cap and a chin-bar. We turn the cap-screw slowly so it compresses the skull. Judging by the shrieks and wailing, the pain must be excruciating. And, the great thing is, you can make it last as long as you choose. You can keep the head firmly clamped for days, weeks even. You should see how they writhe in agony and scream when we strike the metal skull cap with an iron bar; it's hilarious."

"And does it kill them?"

"If you want it to. You can keep tightening the screw until their teeth shatter and splinter into their jaws. Then the eyes are squeezed from the sockets; they literally pop out. Eventually, the skull fractures and the brains burst out everywhere... like when you smash a watermelon with a bat. You should hear the noise."

"You seem to know an awful lot about this," commented one member.

"We use it in our country every day. Fear keeps the plebs in their place."

It was nauseating to watch these men gloat and laugh about the horrendous suffering of others. It was a relief when they moved on to their plan to catch Madrick and Tung.

By the end of the marathon session the meeting had developed a detailed three-part plan. Part one dealt with the search; it was mind-boggling just how many people would be looking for them. Part two dealt with suppressing current and future stories about the strange events. Part three dealt with what they would do with the travellers when they were caught and subsequently what they would do with the Scroll.

This was hard stuff to watch. Michael shivered a little as cold sweat leaked from his armpits. How could these people be so cruel?

"Thank God that's over," said Tung when Samuel Buckingham drew the meeting to a close.

None of them could have listened to much more. A palpable sense of relief filled the room.

"At least we know everything they know," remarked Michael as brightly as he could. He needed to keep their spirits up if they were going to survive this. He needed a plan but his thinking hadn't got much further than 'run away and hide'.

"I was much happier when I knew none of this," said Madrick.

"Me too," said Tung, "but Michael seems to know what he's doing. Surely he'll not let those people get us."

They both looked at Michael. The silence was not reassuring.

"Michael?"