Amorous Goods: The Anklet Pair Pt. 02

"When you left here last night," Morgana began as she looked back at me, "Rylan told you to keep the special rope. That is used to block the influence of magic that's already taken hold on you. It worked on Jan when she was wearing the anklet to suppress the anklet's influence. But as you might have noticed, it sort of blocked her mind as well, needing you to direct her when she had the rope on."

"It seemed to turn her into a zombie of sorts," I said.

"Right," Morgana continued. "The magic grabbed her mind, and the cord merely suppressed her mind's reaction. The cord suppresses the mind, depending on how strong the magic is which has already taken hold. That ring you're holding, Jan, is not a dark magic item, but a shield to prevent the magic from touching you."

"That could come in handy," I said."

"We no longer need such talismans or protective charms ourselves," Morgana said "because we have a pact to never attack each other with spells. We've become more civilized in our community. But apparently that wasn't always the case in the past. Vikki's uncle found that artifact and added it to his collection."

I took the ring from Jan and turned it over in my hand, examining it. "It doesn't seem to do anything for me."

"As I said," Morgana began "you're different. If you two are going into the lion's den to find Meyollnir, Jan should take it. Just put it on, Jan and they won't be able to touch you without you knowing. The others won't harm me, because with No-thung, I'm one of them. But I don't know what their familiar demons might want to do with Jan. And Ted, take the hat. You'll need it to talk to Meyollnir."

"You seem awfully helpful," I said with a note of suspicion. "Why are you helping us, when we're not one of you?"

"We are in control!" Morgana said assertively. "We've worked with the demons for centuries, and we have our pacts among us now to maintain our control. But you've upset something, and we need to know why and what to do about you. And the next move is for you to see Meyollnir to find our answers, too. So, I need both of you to do that."

***

Zodiac Club

We arrived the next evening in the city to park our car and start the journey to find Rylan and her cat. I dressed in my usual jeans and long sleeve dress shirt, not really needing a jacket yet in this cool autumn weather.

Jan was dressed un her usual sexy style, with a short tight one-piece low cut black dress, and her four-inch black FM heels. She also wore the ring she found at Amorous Goods, and I carried a small black backpack slung over my left shoulder with the bulky fur hat.

Along the final block of the trip, I looked down as we walked, studying the city sidewalk as Morgana directed. Jan was beside me also watching the crowd around us and glancing down occasionally looking for the sign. I finally saw the two-inch wide golden line with arrows which seemed to glow on this clear cool autumn evening.

"There it is," I said pointing to the middle of the sidewalk, and Jan glanced down, as she pulled me aside to keep me from bumping into another couple walking toward us as they went about their business. They seemed oblivious to the glowing line I saw.

The line led another fifty feet and turned toward the dark alleyway and the entrance Morgana described. Turning the corner into the alley, the words "The Zodiac Club" glowed in bright blue neon letters above the door, which was surrounded with signs of the zodiac drawn in gold in vertical patterns on black columns.

The two-foot-tall wooden shutters to the left of the door opened and a pleasant little turban-wearing man popped his head out saying, "We've been expecting you, my friends. The signs of the zodiac are suggesting an interesting evening tonight," he said a little ominously. "Enter!" Then the door swung open inward.

Passing through the small foyer surrounded by walls of bare red brick, we started down the metal stairs on the right, descending to well below street level.

The subterranean world of the Zodiac Club seemed to grow darker and more foreboding, and it smelled of a foreign incense as if we were entering a different world.

The two dozen patrons sat around small tables and they all paused to look at us as we descended the stairs. I felt Jan pause beside me halfway down the stairs as she shifted her foot to feel for the next step. So, I stopped with her to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim light.

The room's dim spotlight was aimed at a small unoccupied stage to the left. The center of the stage held a leather padded bench. A basket under the bench held an assortment of cuffs, paddles, cat o' nine tails, and other sex toys.

To our right starting near the base of the stairs was a long bar, with a higher stage behind and slightly above the back of that bar. There was a Saint Andrews Cross positioned against the back wall of the high stage, and an assortment of whips and paddles hung nearby on the back wall.

I saw a man and woman, both dressed in black, standing and leaning against the bar looking at us.

"This looks like a BDSM club," Jan noticed.

"I'm surprised Morgana didn't mention that aspect of this lion's den," I said. "But while she's helping us, I think there's a part of her that's wanting to control us."

"Well, no man's going to lay a hand on me with any of that stuff," Jan said pointing to the stage.

"Watch the ring, and keep your guard up this evening," I said.

Rylan and the Gods

We continued to the bottom of the stairs and past the bar to the lithe, beautiful woman sitting at a table in the back corner. She was dressed in black tights and thin black hooded shawl making her pale skin and red pixie-cut hair stand out in any crowd. She sat there with her right leg crossed over her left, oddly barefoot, a drink glass in her right hand as she stared at us.

"It looks like we were expected," I said to Rylan, as Jan and I pulled out chairs to sit at her table.

"Morgana called, explaining what happened," Rylan said, and she took a sip of her drink. "She said you'd be here as soon as you could make it."

"Then you know I'm here to talk to Meyollnir," I said.

"Yes," Rylan replied. "But perhaps you should learn a little more before that."

"You mean about the demons," I said. "I already know."

"You're so sure, are you?" Rylan replied. "Perhaps you'd be interested to know they weren't always demons."

"Well, Ted," Jan interrupted. "While you learn about their past, I'm more interested in talking to a few of the others here to find my own future. I'm going to the bar to get a drink. Do you want something from the bar?"

"Not right now," I said, and Jan got up leaving me with Rylan.

"You might have recognized my familiar's name," Rylan began. "Its no coincidence. Thousands of years ago, they were the gods all around our planet."

"I thought Thor's hammer, Mjolnir was just a Norse legend or at least a real metal hammer."

"Not just a legend," Rylan said. "Mjolnir was a hammer made by a Norwegian blacksmith, and it bonded to one who called himself the God of Thunder. There were others, too, around the world who found artifacts which gave them powers. Scepters of the Egyptian Pharaohs, magic wands, stone tablets, swords wielded by powerful knights, or even simple crowns of thorns or leaves worn by Kings were more than symbolic sources of power. But as they all learned, power corrupts. We think most of those early artifacts eventually destroyed themselves, leaving their humans vulnerable to the people they enslaved."

"Why didn't the gods use their artifacts to stop the demons from interfering? Is that due to the battle between the Gods and Giants in Norse mythology?" I asked.

"You don't understand," Rylan went on. "The artifact, Thor's hammer, Mjolnir WAS the same demon you saw with me two days ago. The hammer was destroyed, but the demon transformed and lived on. And I now think the Giants were more like you, they were something else the gods and demons hated. They were more human and battling the gods from enslaving people to worship them. Between those battling factions, normal humans lived in chaos."

"So, you're suggesting the gods came and went throughout human history, changing and controlling our destiny," I said. "Why?"

"We don't know why," Rylan answered. "We're guessing at some of this, based on other things the demons have revealed to us. I think their use of gods in the past was to keep us all in a state of conflict."

"That was the past," I said. "When did witchcraft take over?"

"Witchcraft and these explanations have been handed down from person to person for a thousand years and is more of an art than a science," Rylan said. "We think the demons resolved some of their own differences and decided to step back to cooperate between themselves and us. We don't have complete control of the familiars, only a sort of symbiotic relationship."

"What do you get out of that relationship?" I asked.

"We can get the demons to do as we want, within certain broad limits."

"What limits?"

"They can change solid or liquid objects, transforming them into something which can affect the minds of others. But those effects are mostly limited to the strongest emotions. You saw that with the anklets, which affected Jan and Teresa's sex drive."

"Love spells," I said.

"As we discussed at the store," Rylan said in a determined tone, "there are no love spells. It's always about sex, the most powerful force driving humans."

"And what do the demons get out of your relationships?" I asked.

"They seem to be satisfied with working through us to affect other humans," Rylan replied. "Other than that, we don't know what else they might want from us."

***

Jan

Jan walked to the bar, stopping beside the two couples standing there.

"Is this space taken?" she asked in her flirting tone, then she noticed the snake coiled on the bar behind the man. It was not quite as thick as Jan's forearm, but as it uncoiled to slither toward her, she realized it was at least five feet long. When its head came even with her, Jan stepped away from the bar.

"Go ahead and get closer," the tall, black-haired Middle eastern man said. "Apep won't bite, unless I tell him to."

The snake stopped with its head coming over the edge of the bar just inches away from Jan, and she stood still, waiting for its next move. She could see its eyes glow, and out of the corner of her eye, she also noticed the ring she wore from the Amorous Goods shop glow just as brightly. The snake turned its head toward the glowing ring, then it moved away, slithering down the bar and off the end, down onto the floor.

Jan turned again to the tall man as she moved closer to the bar. "I think your friend might not like me," she said with a triumphant hint to her voice.

"It's not like Apep to turn away so quickly," the man said in a curious tone. "He usually likes to cuddle and explore with his new friends, particularly the women."

"I assume Apep is your familiar," Jan said to the man, then addressed the woman; "Do you have a familiar, too?"

"I'm Linka," the attractive blond woman said, then she waved her hand toward the man, "And this is Azrail. My familiar, Grendel isn't here. But I expect him to arrive soon now that you're here."

"We were told to expect two newcomers to our community this evening," Azrail said. "Where are you from?"

"Ted and I live about a six-hour drive from here," Jan said. "We drove in for him to talk to Ryan's familiar."

Azrail and Linka glanced at each other with concerned expressions, then turned back to Jan. "We set the stage to welcome you as one of us," Azrail said, indicating the spotlighted stage and leather-covered bench. "But it sounds like something else may be in order."

"I'm more interested in learning how you cast your spells," Jan admitted. "But there could be time for some other fun, too," she added, glancing toward the stage.

"You're looking for a trade of information in order to cooperate?" Azrail asked.

"If that's what it takes," Jan replied. "How does my humming cause me to cast a spell with my husband?"

"The words are unimportant when casting spells," Linka said. "We each found our own ways with our own languages to get the demons to cooperate and do our bidding. The words focus your mind on what you want, and they sense and do it for us. I speak Danish, and I use Danish curses to work with Grendel."

"And I use ancient Egyptian when calling Apep," Azrail added. "But we think the demons are all from the same Hell, and speak any language, even understanding your humming."

"My Ted doesn't seem to be a demon," Jan said with a hint of anger.

Azrail looked again at Linka, then back to Jan. "Then he's not one of us or one of them."

Jan looked at the stage behind the bar with the Saint Andrews cross. "I can guess the bench is intended for me on the small stage. And that cross?" Jan asked indicating the higher stage.

"That's for him," Linka said pointing at Ted, who was talking to Rylan. "We like to test the men's endurance in a different way."

"Pain, pleasure, and sex are the driving forces which keep us together," Azrail said, as he wrapped an arm over Jan's shoulder pulling her closer. "I've taken my turn on that cross. But tonight, I'm looking forward to showing you the most exquisite pleasures on that bench."

"Hmmm," Jan replied. "So, when does the show start?" she asked teasingly.

"The plan was for Apep to send you there just now to start," Azrail said with a bit of concern. "But for some reason, he turned away to first deal with your husband."

***

The Demons

I noticed the snake sliding down from the bar and crossing the floor toward me. It was joined by two cats sauntering out from behind the bar. One of the two cats had red hair with black paws and face, which I recognized as Rylan's familiar, Meyollnir.

The snake and cats stopped a few feet away from our table. The cats sat in their normal regal pose, and the snake coiled into a circle, with its head raised looking at me. The three of them sat about three feet apart, between our table and the small stage.

"Excuse me," I said to Rylan. "I think it's time for me to have that other conversation with your pet."

I reached into the backpack and pulled out the Russian fur trappers' hat, setting it on my head and positioning the ear flaps over my ears. Turning to the familiars, I said "No-thung told me to find you."

"We know," the redhaired cat purred and I heard the words. I saw the whiteish, ghostly clouds forming above the animals.

"Three poltergeists," Rylan said. "This is serious trouble."

"They're not poltergeists," I said. "Those are your demons."

"When they take this form," Rylan said, "they have their own agenda in the works, and don't respond to us."

I flipped the visor bill in the front down over my eyes, then turned to look at the three reddish, horned demons with their skull-like faces. Meyollnir stood at only six feet tall, shorter than Morgana's demon, No-thung, and not even as tall as me at my six foot three. But Meyollnir was obviously a male with its bulkier muscular frame and a large cock sticking straight out.

The snake demon was the same general shape and taller than me, but male and thinner with a longer cock. And the third one was another female, but a little shorter than us, with grotesquely large tits. They all had the same three-finger/toe hands and feet and had the same curved horns protruding from their foreheads.

"No-thung said I should talk to you if I want any answers," I began. "So, I'm listening."

"No-thung wasn't authorized to deal with you," the tall snake demon said. "Meyollnir is our leader."

"I've held a war council," Meyollnir said. "And we've decided to tell you what you want to know, because it furthers our plans."

"War council? Plans?" I asked, somewhat concerned that this didn't sound good.

"Yes, we needed the witches to band together with their pact of non-aggression, as we have on our planet, so we can travel your world. But rather than fight with you, we've decided you might be of some better use."

"Which planet?" I asked. "And if you're on another planet, how do you communicate with us over such a distance?"

"When giant stars explode, their massive energy create the heavy elements such as Uranium and many others. But when the universe was created, that ultimate explosion of all energy created superheavy elements. Most of those instantaneously decayed when our space-time began. But one stable isotope of a superheavy element transitioned into our space-time. Those rare atoms are scattered throughout our universe and remain connected outside of our space-time. Those are the source of our power and our ability to interact throughout the universe with other planets. And you possess one of those few hundred atoms on your planet."

"How would I possess one?" I asked.

"You randomly ingested one. We've only paired with a few dozen of them on your planet. But such searches to create the quantum pairing remotely like this are an inexact science. We're always seeking more on your planet."

"What do the atoms do?"

"They allow us to warp space-time, which affects the minds of intelligent beings. They became a weapon we used against each other, which was our undoing. Once our scientists identified that power of those atoms, we set about harvesting all of them from the creatures and rocks which possessed them on our planet! But the final concentration of them in our lab destabilized the planet, and it stopped the rotation of the iron core."

"So, together, they're like a Black Hole."

"No. "The atoms don't attract as others do with gravity. In concentrations, they merely twist and warp other massive objects near them. And when concentrated, the effect was disastrous. When the planet's iron core stopped, our planet's magnetic field disappeared. We were forced to move underground to survive, as our planet's atmosphere was blown away by the Sun's eruptions."

"You are on Mars!" I said, realizing what he was describing.

"Yes," Meyollnir admitted. "Over the last ten thousand years, our population dwindled. We started looking for a way to leave this planet, and our remaining scientists are close to finding a way to use those same atoms to twist the space around ships. We'll move to another planet to repopulate. In the meantime, the rest of us use them to link with others to explore and influence your civilizations, preventing a similar catastrophe of consolidating the atoms. We must keep the ones we have here on Mars to prevent destroying your planet. And we must find and control the locations of those on Earth."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, realizing their secret would best be kept from me, if they intend to invade us.

"We've realized our time to escape is close," he said. "And your people might soon discover us first if we remain here. This might lead to a conflict before we're ready. If your scientists were to discover the power of those atoms and reveal it to your leaders, they would do the same as we did and destroy your planet as we did, making it useless to us when we do arrive there. We've realized you are our best ally to keep that from happening."

"I could still warn our leaders," I said, "and warn them to not concentrate the atoms, as you did."

"Surely, you're not so naïve," he said. "Through the witches, we are aware of the greed and hunger for power in humans. In fact, we depend on such greed and power to manipulate humans. Tell them about the power within your body. And they'll dissect you to get it for themselves. And your leaders, as greedy as they are, would still consolidate enough of them to disrupt your planet. We have carefully managed the atoms we've found around your planet to maintain its balance. Even now, with the gathering I have called here with the familiars, I have sent several others on a cruise ship to the south Indian Ocean, on the other side of the Earth from here, to maintain the balance."