Subj: Love's Familiar Face ch 15
Date: 6/23/99 8:40:37 PM Central Daylight Time
From: miranda
Chapter Fifteen
Parallel Time
Behind locked doors, Angelique Collins sat alone in her room. The clocked ticked away the passing minutes as midnight slowly approached. Black candles lit up the room and a makeshift pentagram adorned a small table at which Angelique sat. She ran her hand over a black leather bound book and smiled. Finally, after so many years, she found a possible way of acquiring more power in the black arts. Her mother, skilled as she was in magic, did not offer the power or brand of magic that Angelique desired to possess. Angelique always yearned for a power that would make her feel invincible and able to overcome any obstacle that stood in her path. Her mother, Isadora, only seemed interested in seeing into the future and in performing magic that could restore others to health and good fortune. Angelique wanted more, much, much more. In her recent trip with Quentin she finally found an old spell in this book that would give her what she wanted.
"Now I will find what you could not show me, mother," Angelique whispered as she opened the book to a marked section. She began her incantation. The words were in an ancient language and unfamiliar even though she had the passage secretly translated during their travels. It took time and Quentin could not understand why Angelique insisted on staying so long abroad, but she always could convince him to do anything she wanted.
In anxious expectation Angelique murmured the words, commanding a spirit to show itself to her. Her eyes widened in awe as a black cloud of smoke began to swirl on the ground in response to her summons. The smoke became thicker and gathered itself into a solid form.
Angelique was a bit surprised to see the smoke gather into what looked like a human being. She was half expecting a pointy-eared little creature to answer her summons. She had no idea of what a demon actually looked like.
The man had dark hair, was a dapper dresser, and wore a mischievous smile. "Greetings Angelique. My name is Nicholas."
Angelique did not want to appear to be the novice in the art of demonology that she actually was. She stood up and said, "So you know already know my name. I have summoned you here…"
"Oh I know why you 'summoned' me here, Angelique," Nicholas cut her off. "But I did not appear to 'give you' more power. And of course I know your name. After all we are siblings."
Angelique was stunned, not at all comprehending what he meant. "Siblings?"
"Yes." Nicholas responded enthusiastically. "Technically we are brother and sister, but of course you don't what I mean. I was the son of Isadora Blair in another lifetime and you are her daughter in this one. So we are related."
Angelique was silent, not quiet sure of how to respond to this being from the pit of hell that told such odd stories. "Aren't you curious as to why I am here?" Nicholas taunted.
"Yes," Angelique said, hoping he wasn't going to say he wanted her to have a family reunion with him back in the abyss.
"I am here to remind you of what power you already have." Nicholas walked slowly around the room still wearing that smile that Angelique couldn't quite decipher the meaning behind. "I know you don't remember now, but you have lived many lifetimes before this one. Once I knew you as Miranda DuVal and the last time you were on this earth your name was Angelique Bouchard. You already have power. You have just forgotten how to use it." Nicholas walked over to Angelique. She fought off the urge to retreat and stood firm. He stopped when he was so close that he could reach out and kiss her if he wanted. "We will meet again Angelique. We always do." He reached out and touched her forehead.
That was the last thing she remembered before the blackness came and overtook her.
Angelique awoke slowly. Through her blurry vision she could see there was no sign of Nicholas in her room. She rose as if in slow motion and walked over to a mirror. Once her head cleared she found herself smiling at her reflection. "Yes," she whispered. "I remember now."
She whirled around suddenly as another realization dawned on her. "Josette! Josette DuPres it was you the other night. You somehow escaped the trap I set in 1796. And Barnabas? Did he escape too? No, I felt his spirit depart before I went to my own place in the afterlife. Well, it does not matter how he returned. I will have to deal with you Josette. I will have to destroy you like you should have been destroyed long ago." Angelique emitted a long mocking laugh.