We must as second best . . . take the least of the evils.

—Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, bk. 2, ch. 6

There was only the faint glimmer of starlight when Armand Dantes slipped furtively out the front door. This was the part of being an investigative journalist that he liked best—the stealthy exploration of the unknown, the flirtatious game of tag with danger—and soon he should know if the cult he was investigating was dangerous.

He couldn't see into the thick Pennsylvania forest surrounding the old stone house, but as he took the path leading into the trees, he was alert to every sound. For two weeks he had searched the woods for the cave that supposedly housed the coven's altar. He'd hoped to inspect it by day, but from sunrise to sunset the coven children gathered before it, the smaller of them at quiet play and the older ones sitting in a silent circle, as though engaged in communal meditation.

During his three years of reporting on dangerous dissident groups, Armand had found that it was always the children who bothered him the most. They were often the pawns and frequently the victims of twisted adult minds. These children, however, were disturbing in their own right. They looked at—or, more accurately, probed—him with silvery eyes that had a tendency to grow opaque. And regardless of their coloring, they all had the same eyes—the same eyes that Lucien Morgret possessed.

The thought of Morgret, the self-proclaimed warlock who had told him about the coven, made Armand shudder. It was obvious that Morgret was crazy, and Armand still hadn't figured out why the man had sought him out and confided in him about this place. But whatever Morgret's reasons, his story was compelling.

When Armand finally reached the cave, he saw a spectral light emanating from its mouth, bathing the clearing in front of it in a moonlike glow. His first thought was that the coven must be meeting, but the ponderous silence was too acute.

Curiously, he approached the cave. Its entrance was a small circular passage that angled to the right, hiding the interior from sight. He had to crouch to enter, and shortly after he rounded the bend, he was in the cave itself. As he stood upright, he gazed at his surroundings in awe.

The floor, the walls, and the ceiling were covered with luminescent quartz crystals that glowed without any visible light source. The chamber appeared to be a perfect circle, about twenty feet in diameter. A large block of gleaming wood stood in the center, and a collection of objects rested on its surface. . He approached the wooden altar to study the items.

There were two obviously old double-bladed knives—one with an ornately carved black hilt and the other with an unadorned white hilt. Beside them sat a small dish that was so blackened from smoke he couldn't tell if it was metal or pottery, though it gave off the pungent odor of incense. Beside it was an unpretentious gold chalice that looked old enough to have come out of an archeological dig. Next to that was a stone pentacle the size of his hand and carved with runic symbols. Finally, there was an ebony wand about two feet long, winged at the top, with entwined snakes carved along its length.

Armand recognized the items as a set of witches' tools used in rituals. Fishing the small camera out of his pocket, he took pictures of the tools, the altar, and the magnificent crystalline interior of the cave. Then he tucked the camera back into his pocket and tried to figure out a way to photograph the cult in action. There was no place for him to hide, and though his camera was equipped with a timing device, its black box would stand out in the room. He would have to find a way to disguise it, so there was no way he could set up the camera tonight. He would need to come back another night.

With a resigned sigh, he turned toward the mouth of the cave. He'd taken half a dozen steps before he saw the three white-robed figures blocking the entrance. Their robes were hooded, hiding their faces, and they stood so still they resembled statues. It was their stillness against the crystal background that had made them nearly invisible.

Instinctively he began to back up. He didn't have a weapon, but if he could get to the knives on the altar, he'd be able to defend himself if the need arose. The figures didn't move, even when he reached the altar and made a grab for the knives. But before he could touch them, he was hit with a jolt of pain so intense it made him stumble away from the altar. Before he could regain his balance, the crippling energy hit him again, and he fell to his knees.

It was a clear, angry demand, but it hadn't been spoken. It had been mentally communicated, and suddenly Armand believed everything that Morgret had told him. These people were witches and warlocks, and now that they considered him a threat, they would combine their powers to read his mind. He never should have told his twin sister, Ariel, about the coven; if they learned that she knew about them, she also would be in danger.

But he had told her, and he was faced with two choices. He could take a chance that these men really couldn't read his mind, or he could drink the potion Morgret had given him to use if he was caught. According to Morgret, the potion would bring on instant amnesia, and right now, amnesia seemed the lesser evil.

He jerked the chain holding the vial out from beneath his shirt, popped the cap off the tiny container, and lifted it to his lips. The robed man in the center of the trio emitted an enraged scream and sprang toward him, his hands reaching for the vial, but it was too late.

An instant lethargy overtook Armand. As he felt himself losing consciousness, he suddenly realized that when he woke up he wouldn't remember anyone—not even Ariel, who was his sister, his best friend, his twin! For the first time in his life he would be utterly alone, and that panicked him.

Ariel, help me! his mind screamed as the darkness began to overtake him.

Even as he lost consciousness he heard that unspeaking voice demand, Who is Ariel?

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire bum and cauldron bubble.

—William Shakespeare, Macbeth 4.1.10

Ariel Dantes shuddered as she stood before the door of the Witches' Brew, a bar located in a dilapidated neighborhood of downtown Philadelphia. The door was black with a red stained-glass inverted pentagram centered at eye level. Delicately etched in the glass were indecipherable, demonic-looking symbols. Below the pentagram were teardrop-shaped chips of red glass that ran to the bottom of the door. Like the pentagram, the chips glowed, giving the impression that the door was bleeding from an open wound. Ariel couldn't believe that her brother had been headed here when he bussed her on the cheek six weeks ago and told her he'd be in touch.

Though she knew she had to go inside, she couldn't bring herself to open the door. She turned away from it and nervously studied the street. A dozen motorcycles were parked in front of the bar amid the overflowing garbage cans whose stench turned her stomach. Most of the crumbling three-story brick buildings on the block were boarded up and had Condemned signs posted on them.

She watched an old woman push a shopping cart filled with junk up the middle of the street with one hand. She was talking and gesturing wildly with the other hand, as though in passionate conversation with some unseen companion. An emaciated woman, with a wraithlike child in tow, crept furtively down an alley. Two men wearing tattered clothes and obviously drunk or high on drugs were staggering up the block toward her. An equally tattered man stood across the street, staring at her with such absorption that she stuck her hand into her jacket pocket and took a firm hold on the Mace canister she'd placed there earlier.

It was dusk, and she cast a quick glance up and down the street, confirming that all the streetlights had been shattered. In a matter of minutes it would be so dark that she wouldn't be able to see her car, which was parked a block away. She should have parked closer, but it had been the only spot on the street that hadn't been covered with broken glass or garbage cans.

Common sense told her that she wasn't safe here, that she should hurry back to her car and leave. She could return tomorrow and confront Lucien Morgret in the daylight.

But even as she offered herself the chance to escape, she dismissed it. Her only clue to finding Armand was behind the macabre door of the Witches' Brew. It was here that Armand had met Lucien Morgret, the owner of the bar, who also claimed to be a warlock. It was conversations with Morgret that had sent Armand on his ridiculous search for a coven.

That had been six weeks ago, and she hadn't heard from him since. At first she hadn't been concerned. Armand was an investigative journalist who specialized in dangerous, dissident groups. It wasn't unusual for him to go underground, but no matter how far underground he went, he always called her once a month to reassure her that he was safe. For him to go this long without contacting her could only mean he was in trouble. She wasn't about to let another day go by without trying to find him. Drawing in a deep breath to bolster her courage, she turned back to the door and pushed it open.

When she entered the bar, she came to an abrupt halt. There were only half a dozen light bulbs illuminating the room, but even dimness couldn't disguise its shabby interior. She eyed the customers warily. Although the crowd—all male—wasn't large, enough chains, leather, and tattoos were displayed to make her grip the canister of Mace more tightly. But the men weren't as intimidating as the engraved images of devils and demons that populated the room were. They glared at her from the frieze that circled the ceiling. They scowled at her from the wooden booths and sneered at her from the arms and legs of chairs. She couldn't help feeling that when she stepped into the Witches' Brew, she had taken a step into Hell.

Again her common sense urged her to leave, but again she reminded herself of Armand. She hurried toward a scarred mahogany bar, which was also populated with demonic countenances, and slid onto a barstool, trying to decide how to approach Morgret. Armand had said the man was suspicious and wary of strangers. Should she just tell him who she was and why she was here, or should she be subtle? Her first instinct was to be direct so she could leave, but Morgret might be involved in Armand's disappearance. She had to be subtle.

The bartender was serving a customer at the other end of the bar, so Ariel surreptitiously studied the crowd. Armand had told her that Morgret was so distinctive that the moment you saw him you knew who he was. To her chagrin: everyone in the bar looked distinctive. As a dealer in rare and antique books, she usually dealt with a clientele that ran more toward pipes and tweeds. She doubted that there was a chain or tattoo among her customers.

She started when a deep voice suddenly asked, "What'll it be?"

She glanced up at the bartender and her jaw dropped. Armand hadn't been joking. Morgret was definitely distinctive, and she had no doubt that the man standing in front of her was Morgret. Though she didn't believe in warlocks, she could see why people would believe that he was one.

He was dressed in black jeans and a black shirt, unbuttoned halfway down his chest, with the cuffs rolled to his elbows. There was a small drawstring pouch at his waist, and an extraordinarily long transparent crystal was suspended from a heavy silver chain around his neck. He wasn't a handsome man. Indeed, the best description she could come up with was threatening. His shoulder-length black hair was shaggy. His features were sharp planes and angles. But it was his eyes that gave him a sinister presence. They were such a pale blue that they were almost silver. They didn't look at you; they pierced you.

She had to clear her throat to find her voice. "Do you, uh, have white wine?"

"I don't have wine, nor do I make mixed drinks," he answered tersely, staring at her with the same malevolence as the gargoyles framing the bar mirror behind him. "Our customers prefer their liquor straight and hard."

"Beer?" she suggested" intuiting that if she wasn't drinking, he wasn't going to talk to her.

"Tap or bottle?"

"Bottle," was her quick response. His mocking smile said that he knew she was questioning the sanitary condition of his glassware, and Ariel cursed herself for the blunder. She couldn't afford to alienate him. She considered changing her order, but he had already pulled a bottle of beer from beneath the bar and twisted off the cap.

"Two bucks," he said, setting the bottle in front of her.

Ariel retrieved her wallet and handed him a $10 bill. While he got her change, she tried to think of a topic of conversation that would get him talking without making him suspicious.

She was still floundering for an icebreaker when he returned with her change and demanded, "Why are you here?"

The blunt question, delivered angrily, caught Ariel off guard. Again she had to clear her throat. "I, uh, came in for a drink."

He arched a disbelieving brow. "Fine. Finish your beer and get out. This isn't the type of crowd to pay for what they can take."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Ariel staring after him in bewilderment. What in the world was he talking about? A customer from a table at the back of the bar hailed him, and he grabbed a bottle off the shelf behind him and carried it toward the table.

While he served the customer, Ariel became aware that two burly men with long, greasy hair and tattoo-covered arms were leering at her. When one of them waved a handful of bills at her, the meaning of Morgret's words sank in. He thought she was a hooker!

It was obvious that the leering men thought so too, and she quickly turned her back on them. Lord, what was she doing here, and how could they possibly mistake her for a hooker? She' was dressed in a pair of faded jeans, a baggy T-shirt, and a shapeless wind-breaker. The women she'd seen strolling the streets during her search for the bar had been dressed—or rather undressed—for work!

"I thought I told you to get out," Morgret muttered, appearing in front of her silently and suddenly.

"1 haven't finished my beer," Ariel said, giving him her friendliest smile.

He fixed her with an unblinking stare, and it took all her willpower to keep from squirming beneath his disturbing scrutiny. She took another swig of beer, hoping the action looked nonchalant but suspecting it looked as awkward as she felt.

"Why are you here?" he demanded again, his brows drawing together in a menacing scowl that caused gooseflesh to spring up on her arms.

"I told you. I came in for a drink."

Something flared in his eyes, making them seem even more silver, and he suddenly raised his hand toward the crystal. Ariel instinctively perceived the gesture as a threat.

Before he could touch the crystal, she said, "I'm looking for someone." She was relieved when he dropped his hand back to his side.

"Who?" he questioned in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible. It was also the most menacing sound Ariel had ever heard. The hair on the back of her neck prickled, and she decided to hell with subtlety. The faster she confronted Morgret, the faster she could leave.

"I'm looking for Mr. Morgret. Is he here?"

"No."

"No?" Ariel echoed in confusion. She'd been positive that he was Morgret. Had she been wrong? Even as she asked the question, she knew the answer. He was Morgret, and he was wary of strangers. "Do you know when he's expected?"

"No."

"Are you sure? It's important that I speak with him."

He shrugged dismissively. "I can't help you. Now finish your beer and get out."

Ariel was so stunned by his order that she automatically lifted the bottle to her lips. Even if he wasn't Morgret, he should have been curious enough to ask who she was.

She set the bottle back on the bar and said, "If I leave my name and number, would you make sure Mr. Morgret gets it?"

"I'm a bartender, lady, not a receptionist."

"Was that a yes or a no?" she shot back sarcastically. She knew she was baiting him, but she'd been pushed to the limit today. She was frantic about Armand, and she'd been patronized by both his boss and the police. She wasn't going to be stonewalled by the very man who got him into this mess in the first place.

He crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her with an expression that was devoid of emotion, which made him all the more threatening. Even as fear vibrated at the base of her spine, anger and pride made her meet his daunting gaze head-on. She was here to find her brother, and she'd be damned before she let the man know that he scared the daylights out of her.

"What do you want with Morgret?" he asked after they'd stared at each other for what seemed an eternity.

Ariel sighed inwardly in relief. Finally she'd made some progress. "It's a personal matter that I prefer to discuss only with Mr. Morgret."

"If you want me to give him a message, you'll have to do better than that."

"All right. I'm Ariel Dantes and I need to speak with him about my brother, Armand."

She watched his face closely for any sign of recognition, but she didn't see even a muscle twitch. Suddenly he raised his hand and caressed the crystal. The moment he touched it, Ariel felt a tiny jolt. It left her with the unsettling feeling that she'd been invaded.

That feeling intensified when he narrowed his eyes consideringly and announced, "I'm Morgret. What about your brother?"

"He’s missing, and I'm looking for him."

He gestured toward the room behind her. "As you can see, he's not here."

"I know he's not here,' she said impatiently. "I want you to tell me how to find him."

"Do I look like Lost and Found?"

Ariel's temper began to stir, but she ignore4 it. She was too close to getting what she wanted to succumb to his taunting. "Mr. Morgret, Armand told me about you. I can understand your reluctance to speak with me, but my brother is missing. You're the only lead I have to finding him."

"What makes you think he's missing?"

"I haven't heard from him in six weeks."

"I wouldn't think that's unusual. From what your brother told me, it's common for him to go underground for months at a time."

"You sound just like the police!" she said in exasperation. "And I'll tell you exactly what 1 told them. No matter how deep underground Armand goes, he always calls once a month to let me know he’s okay."

"You've been to the police?"

His voice had a chilling edge, and without warning, he gripped the crystal, causing Ariel to start. The feeling of invasion was back, creating a strange tingling sensation that quickly spread from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

It was just her imagination, she told herself. But the reassurance didn't alleviate her anxiety, because Morgret’s eyes had grown almost opaque and the crystal seemed to be taking on an unearthly glow.

She sensed danger and gulped at the realization that she'd been so eager to speak with Morgret she hadn't told anyone where she was going. How could she have been so stupid? Armand didn't investigate anyone unless he thought they were dangerous, and Morgret had belonged to the witchcraft cult Armand was inquiring into. The man could probably kill her right where she sat, and from what she'd seen of his patrons, she was sure none of them would lift a finger to help her.

She glanced around anyway, looking for some person with a friendly face who might come to her rescue. All she discovered, however, was that the men who'd been leering at her had left the bar. She returned her attention to Morgret.

"I didn't tell the police about you, Mr. Morgret," she said, hating the quiver in her voice but unable to control it.

"Only because they didn't take you seriously." His reply startled her. How had he known that? But again she knew the answer. If the police had taken her seriously, they'd be sitting here instead of her. So why did she feel as if he was reading her mind?

It was those eyes—and his hand lingering on the crystal.

"Regardless of the reason, 1 didn't tell them. And if you tell me where Armand is, there won't be any need for me to tell them in the future," she pointed out.

One corner of his lips lifted, as though he was amused, but Ariel sensed his underlying rancor as he drawled, "Are you threatening me?"

She started to deny his assertion, but then recognized that she was issuing a threat, albeit a feeble one. "I suppose I am. But I don't want to complicate your life, Mr. Morgret. I simply want to find my brother."

He released his hold on the crystal. "I have no idea where your brother is at the moment."

Ariel frowned at his evasiveness. "I'm not asking where he is at the moment, Mr. Morgret. A general vicinity will do just fine."

"I can't tell you that."

"You mean you won't tell me," she countered.

"Arguing semantics doesn't change anything, Ms. Dantes."

"Look, Mr. Morgret, we're talking about my brother. If he's in trouble, then I have to help him."

"I can assure you that Armand is safe."

"If he's safe, then why hasn’t he called me?"

"Maybe he's busy and forgot to call."

"No," she denied with a firm shake of her head. "Armand would never forget me. The only reason for him not to call is because he's in trouble. You have to tell me how to find him."

"I can't help you."

"You mean you won't help me."

"You're arguing semantics again."

"Damnit!" Ariel cried in frustration. "My brother is in trouble because of you. Don't you feel the slightest bit of responsibility?"

"You have no proof that he's in trouble."

"I feel it in my heart, and that's proof enough for me. You have to tell me where he went."

He tilted his head and regarded her for a long moment. "And what if you're wrong, Ms. Dantes? What if you go rushing in to save the day, only to blow Armand's cover? How will he respond if you destroy six weeks of hard work?"

"In the first place, I'm not wrong," she stated emphatically. "In the second, I have enough sense not to go rushing in. I'll come up with a plan."

"A plan to deal with an entire coven?" he scoffed. "You have no idea what you'd be getting into."

"So you can tell me what I'd be getting into. I have to find him. Please, Mr. Morgret. Help me."

Something flared in his eyes, and for a moment Ariel thought she'd reached him. But then his expression became harsh, and he shook his head. Tears of frustration burned her eyes, but she blinked them back. She wasn't defeated. She'd find Armand without Lucien Morgret's help.

She rose to her feet, stating stiffly, "Good-bye, Mr. Morgret."

"Where are you going?"

"To find my brother."

"Stay out of this, Ms. Dantes. If you don't, I'll . . ."

"You'll what?" she demanded when he fell silent.

"I'll have to stop you." He delivered the words without inflection, but Ariel only had to look into his eyes to know that the threat was real. Oddly enough, instead of frightening her, it made her angry.

"It's obvious that you have no sense of family, Mr. Morgret. If you did you'd realize that I'll do anything to help my brother, and that includes fighting you."

With that, she stalked out. But the moment the door closed behind her, her anger dissipated and her fear returned. Night had indeed arrived while she'd been inside, and it was even darker than she'd anticipated. There was no illumination from the bar, and a quick glance toward the window revealed that it had been painted over. Reluctantly she looked over her shoulder at the door and shuddered in revulsion. The eerie appearance of dripping blood was even more pronounced now, reminding her of Morgret and his parting threat.

Retrieving the Mace canister from her pocket, she walked briskly toward her car. The street was silent, except for unidentifiable rustling sounds. Afraid of stumbling over the disintegrating sidewalk, she fought the urge to break into a dead run. If someone was following her, she wouldn't be able to defend herself if she tripped and fell.

She was halfway down the block when she heard a footstep behind her. She cast a nervous glance over her shoulder, but except for a very faint reddish glow from the door of the Witches' Brew, she couldn't see anything.

Panic sliced through her. Someone was there. She could feel eyes watching her, and suddenly Morgret's words flashed into her mind: This isn't the type of crowd to pay for what they can take. She began to walk even faster.

She had almost made it to the corner when she heard a bellow of fear. Even as her common sense told her to run like hell, she spun around in time to see a man lifted into the air by some unknown force. She watched in disbelief as he was thrown backwards by an unseen assailant. He landed on the sidewalk so hard that Ariel could hear bones breaking.

"What the hell!" another man yelled as he also was lifted into the air and thrown. He hit the side of the building and slid down it, landing in a crumpled heap.

Instinctively she looked in the direction of the Witches' Brew and then began to shake uncontrollably. All she could see was the silvery glow of Lucien Morgret's eyes and the bottom half of his face, cast in a macabre, pulsing light emanating from the crystal on his chest. Obviously he'd saved her from being attacked, but that didn't make him less frightening.

With a low moan of terror, Ariel spun around and ran for her car. When she reached it, she hurriedly unlocked the door, leaped inside, and fumbled her key into the ignition. Thankfully, the engine started on the first try, and she pulled away from the curb before she even turned on the headlights.

As she turned the comer and stomped on the gas pedal, she whispered, "Oh, God, Armand. What have you gotten us into this time?"

* * *

Lucien cursed as he watched Ariel's car disappear around the corner. Then he glanced down the sidewalk toward the two men who had been intent on raping her. He could hear their groans, and he cursed again. He'd probably have to call an ambulance, which would bring official attention to him and the bar. Why had he gone to her rescue? If she was stupid enough to come here at night, then she deserved what she got.

But sexual violence was a behavior he didn't understand in mortals. Of course, there wasn’t much about mortals that he did understand. They were a mass of contradictions, the only predictable thing about them being that they were unpredictable.

The men were easier for him to deal with than the women. The average male functioned at a base level. Regardless of his intellect, he seemed to be driven by ego and libido. The mortal female, on the other hand, seemed controlled by emotion and exercised little common sense. Those two traits made her extremely dangerous and abjectly helpless at the same time.

He touched the crystal to determine the injuries of Ariel's stalkers. One man was merely dazed and would soon regain consciousness. The other had suffered a broken leg, some cracked ribs, and a concussion. His condition wasn't critical, but he definitely needed medical help.

Lucien grasped the crystal more tightly and inserted himself into the men's minds. He wiped out their memory of Ariel Dantes and re-created a scene in which they’d attacked each other in a drunken brawl.

When he was sure that he had firmly implanted the image, he clutched the crystal with both hands, seeking contact with every mortal who had seen Ariel enter the bar. The number was greater than he'd imagined, and it took all of his concentration to erase their memories. She'd already been to the police. He couldn't afford to have her connected with him in any way.

By the time he was done, his body was weak and trembling. It had been a long time since he'd had to exert such effort. He found his exhaustion exhilarating. Finally, after three long years, he was functioning as a warlock!

He went back into the bar and called 911, summoning help for the injured man. As he waited for the ambulance and the police to arrive, he tried to decide what he was going to do about Ariel Dantes. He had to either stop her or help her, but whatever his decision, he had to make it before the witching hour. Why had he believed Armand Dantes when he’d sworn he wouldn’t tell anyone about him? He should have known he couldn't trust Armand. He was, after all, a mere mortal.

He heaved an irritated sigh. As much as he wanted to dismiss Ariel's claim that her brother was in trouble, he couldn't. When he'd probed her mind, he discovered that she and Armand were twins, and from what he'd read he knew that twins often held a strong mental link. If she felt he was in trouble, then it probably meant that the coven had become suspicious of him.

If that was true, however, then Armand must have been able to drink the amnesia potion that Lucien had given him or Galen would have been here by now. It also meant that Galen must have chosen to keep Armand prisoner, because if he had let him go, Lucien would have connected with him the moment he stepped off coven land.

Lucien raked a hand through his hair as he again tried to decide what to do. If his suspicions were true, then the potion could wear off at any moment. When that happened, Galen would get his answers, and Armand, Lucien, and Ariel Dantes would all be in serious trouble.

As he heard the wail of sirens, Lucien pulled a coin out of the cash register and tossed it into the air. When he caught it, he slapped it to the back of his hand. Heads, he'd help Ariel. Tails, he'd let her deal with Galen on her own.

Text Copyright Linda Kichline 1994
Website Copyright ImaJinn Books 2007

ImaJinn Books