The Golden Serpent Pt. 02: The Theatre

"Good."

Gabriella flipped a page from the book on the lectern, and began to recite another very Churchy oration. The License to Depart.

The candles dimmed back down to normal candle light, and once again Sarah could only see Kathy and Jane's naked skin as a dim orange in the candle light. Kathy began to seem shorter in Jane's embrace, the muscular definition starting to leave.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked.

Sarah could just about hear Kathy. She sounded like Kathy again.

"Yeah. Fuck," said Kathy, quietly. "What a rush."

Gabriella was just a silhouette that strode out of the circle, exiting the stage, leaving the other two to sit there in silence.

Gabriella strode up the aisle past Sarah, beckoning to her. Sarah got up and followed, notepad and pen in her hand, looking back at Jane, who was still holding a motionless Kathy on the stage.

"Did you get all that?" asked Gabriella.

They emerged into the empty lobby of the community theatre. There was a desk, and a noticeboard with the upcoming productions advertised on photocopied paper. The glass double doors let in the light from the street outside.

"Yes," Sarah replied. "Are they okay?"

"They'll be fine," replied Gabriella. "They just having some "after-care" time. They always do this."

"Oh."

"You would think that after having spent longer than us on the Earth, their attempts at sex with humans would be less like a teenager getting their first grope."

"Sorry?" asked Sarah.

"Demons," clarified Gabriella. "They don't have physical bodies. We do. Some of them hate us for it. Some are indifferent to us. But they all want a taste of physical sensation."

"Hence the offerings," said Sarah.

"Correct," said Gabriella.

Gabriella looked at Sarah's top.

"You always wear turqoise."

"Yeah," said Sarah, "It's just my colour."

"Only just noticed that about you. Whenever you're not on stage, you're always wearing that colour."

"It's always been my thing," said Sarah. "since I was a teenager."

"Well, it looks good on you."

Gabriella turned to a grey box on the wall by the doors, opening it and putting the key into the alarm. She turned the key, emitting a few beeps. Sarah looked at her notes.

"What is the glass tower?"

"It's the offices at Sutton Media." Gabriella answered. "A glass-fronted building that overlooks the harbour. It's owned by Celia Kyriakakos, a business associate of mine."

"Oh. So Gregor has a spy in there?"

"According to the demon. We can't just trust everything they say. But I told Celia I'd let her know what she said."

"And the woods?" Sarah asked, trying to get something relevant about Jack. "The Courtenay family? What's that about?"

"No idea. Yet," Gabriella replied. "This is just a data gathering exercise. And we're not just relying on demons for our intel. Just a minute, I need to call Celia."

Gabriella took out her smartphone from her jacket pocket and pressed "Celia" on her contacts list.

Celia was stood in her study, looking out of the window onto the town below. The room behind her was lit by a desklamp. Not because she needed it, she just enjoyed the dramatic flair of working in a room lit only by a desk lamp. It made her feel like she was in a film noir.

Her gold-plated smartphone started buzzing. She bought it on a whim in Dubai, because it was the gaudiest thing she'd ever seen. She turned from the window and picked it up.

"Gabriella."

"Celia. I got the information you wanted."

"The demon was cooperative?"

"I think so. One of your employees at Sutton Media might be a spy. We don't know who exactly, but the demon gave us a description. Dark hair, pale skin, called Danielle."

"And you trust this demon?"

"Of course not. You'll have to do some counter-espionage of your own."

"Then we'll have to find someone. Someone expendable."

"Expendable? You want this person completely undercover?"

"Whoever we send might have to go right into Gregor's circle. They might not come out unscathed. And they have to be unknown, no-one recognisable. Do you know anyone you are willing to risk on this?"

"No, no-one from my network anyway."

"We'll find someone," replied Celia.

"Fine," replied Gabriella. "But there's something else. The missing people might be in an abandoned building to the north of the city. Apparently, Gregor is bargaining with the spirits of that area, the genius loci. Those spirits will know more than our demon, who couldn't tell us if Gregor was involved."

"Do you know anything more?"

"Not much. The building used to belong to a family called the Courtenays. It's now hidden in woodlands. Once I find out more, I can send some people down there."

"I'll call you tomorrow. Thanks Gabriella."

Outside the theatre, the quiet side street was free of traffic, although the sounds of the city could be heard close by. A limo, pulled up in front of the theatre dominated the road.

Gabriella had just finished locking the doors to the theatre. Sarah was too busy looking at the limo to notice Jane and Kathy next to her, wearing clothes again.

Jane was in her customary fur coat, and Kathy was back in her jeans and T-shirt under a parka. It was like they had just come out from an evening at the theatre.

"Who wants a lift?" Gabriella asked, striding over to a door, opened by a tall chauffeur.

All four of them piled into the back of the limo. Sarah was taken aback by how much space there was. Leather seats were gathered around a table that was nicer than the dining room table at her parents house. They even fitted a drinks cabinet towards the back.

The only time Sarah had ever been in a limo was at her Sixth Form Prom. She thought it was classy when she was eighteen. She later realized how tacky the underlighting and go-fasta stripes were.

They all settled into the leather seats as the limo moved away. On the table was a mahogony box, which Gabriella opened.

"Bear with me. There's something I have to do."

Gabriella pulled out a deck of cards, covered in silk. Tarot cards.

She paused, before knocking the deck against the table three times. She then shuffled the cards without ceremony and cut the deck, drawing out three cards, and placing them on the table. She turned them upright.

"Interesting," she said. "Three trump cards. This looks significant."

Sarah peered over. The cards looked old and faded. It was strange seeing Gabriella, a woman who looked like she was born wearing a suit, reading tarot cards. Where did she pick up these interests?

"What are you asking?" Jane enquired.

"I want to know," Gabriella paused, "how to go about contacting these wild spirits the demon was going on about."

"Is this another job for me?" Kathy asked.

"I think so," said Gabriella, pointing down at the cards. "We have the Moon, the Lovers and the Devil."

"The Devil," said Jane. "Another demonic encounter. Like tonight?"

"Maybe. Quiet a second."

Gabriella put her finger on the Lovers card and closed her eyes.

"It's this card that confounds me. We have The Moon, lighting a path through the darkness, into the woods at night. That's obvious. But the Lovers. The man and woman, joined together before an angel. And then the same couple before the Devil, in bondage, chains."

Gabriella went quiet again. Her brow furrowed in concentration.

"I see it. After the moon rises, we will have visitors. A couple. They will be naked, like on the card. And we should welcome them. They will play a key part in our plan."

"They'll be naked?" asked Sarah. "Who's walking around the woods naked?"

"Doesn't mean they will show up naked. More likely, this is how they'll end up," clarified Gabriella. "They will be a part of our spectacle, that we'll use to draw in the spirits."

"Why do we need some random couple for this?" asked Jane. "We know plenty of people who can create a spectacle. Between us we have an entire rolodex of perverts to call on."

"True," replied Gabriella "I'm not just going to rely on my interpretation of the cards for this. But if they show up, well, we really should encourage them to join in."

"Great," said Kathy. "Does this mean they'll fuck me? Am I going to be the offering again?"

"Maybe," said Gabriella. "You might be the offering. This couple might be the offering. We might all be the offering. Frankly, anything can happen. But whatever happens, your skills will be very useful. Do you want in again, Kathy?"

"Go on," Kathy smiled. "It sounds like fun."

"Good," Gabriella smiled back.

Sarah sat back and spent the ride home wondering if she was going to be asked to join in on this adventure, but no one did.

They dropped Sarah off at her cheap flat in a cheap, dirty part of town. She entered and went straight to her bedroom. Without turning the lights on, she pulled her jeans and knickers around her ankles and masturbated vigorously on her bed with the curtains wide open.