8 : "Let's Begin"

Enid woke to find herself practically on top of Crowley, head resting in his lap. At first she froze, immobile, pausing to take in the feel of his fingers carding through her hair.

"Morning, love."

She sat up and scooted away from him, trying to straighten herself out while instantly registering the bright light of day reflecting off desert sands. She could see out for miles in every direction yet they appeared to be in the middle of nowhere.

"You're quite the honest sleeper."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you get chatty when you're napping. You just can't resist," he wiggled his eyebrows knowingly.

She looked embarrassedly at him, "And what exactly did I say?"

Crowley chuckled, "That's between me and sleeping beauty."

Enid began to protest but was interrupted by the car rolling to a stop.

"Where are we?"

Crowley exited and held out a hand for Enid as she climbed out. He then tapped the window and the car took off, leaving them stranded.

"Welcome to Nikov Palace," he said with a grandiose gesture to the barren landscape in front of them.

Crowley snapped his fingers and an intense gust of wind appeared out of thin air, blowing away a quadrant of sand to reveal a sort of raised metal panel. Etched into the surface was a red insignia.

"I've seen that sigil before… is that a Devil's Trap?"

"Yes indeed it is. Obviously I can't touch it so you'll have to let us in," Crowley stated.

"How?"

"No idea," Crowley grinned, "It's my first time entering this way."

Enid looked at him uncertainly before stepping to face the panel, hyper aware of his eyes following her movements. Her heels sank into the sand she struggled to crouch in her tight dress.

Her hands ran along the sigil, then to the underside of the panel, searching for some sort of hatch or knob. She located a thin hollow slot and slipped her fingers into it, expecting the side to give. Instead she felt something sharp slash quickly against her fingers. She pulled back abruptly with a sharp intake of breath.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, clamping her free hand around the base of her fingers to stem the flow of blood that blossomed and dripped from the fresh cut.

Crowley was there in an instant. He grabbed her hand roughly and slid it across the sigil, ignoring her cries of anguish. He then helped her to her feet and they watched as the blood assimilated into the metal, causing the Devil's Trap to pulsate and glow momentarily before unhinging and swinging open to reveal a compact stairwell.

"Blood offering. I should've guessed," Crowley muttered distractedly.

"Fucking hell!"

Crowley lifted her hand, much to her protest, and licked gently at the trail of blood before taking her fingers into his mouth. His eyes were smirking as he slid his tongue along the cut. He could feel her pulse racing in surprise.

He then released her but she did not lower her hand immediately, instead turning it over to inspect her fingers, the deep cut having healed over completely.

"Come," he commanded again, leading the way down.

She followed, placing each foot carefully on the narrow spiraling steps. Descending took what seemed like hours but once they reached the base, the passage took a swift ninety degree turn and the floor sloped steeply downward. Another twenty yards down there appeared to be a dead end, but with a snap of his fingers the wall transformed into the thick drape, which Crowley held ajar for her, his shadowy silhouette a stark contrast to the bright light coming from the room beyond. Enid slipped through the narrow entrance and Crowley let the tapestry fall back into place behind her.

He watched delightedly as her eyes widened to take in the underground palace. It was comprised of intricate stone works, arches, and staircases leading in all directions. Every surface was carved with pristine detail and embellished with colorful stone inlays.

"Nikov Palace; House of the Ancients. Well, previous House of the Ancients. It's been reduced to a bunker now. But it remains architecturally superb. Even The Paris Opera House was modeled after this place."

"It's beautiful," she replied, awed by the structure before her.

"Isn't it just."

"But the place is empty? It's massive!"

Crowley chuckled, "Among other things. But it wouldn't make a very good secret bunker if we opened it to tourists, would it? As it is, the place is virtually impenetrable."

Crowley started off walking again and escorted Enid through countless lavish rooms and hallways and down a long curved staircase to a set of stone doors.

The doors floated silently open as they approached and beyond them lay an opulent ballroom comprised of monumental stone pillars etched top to bottom with runes and intricate scenes of ancient battles and figureheads. The ballroom was shaped in a perfect square, with doors on all sides branching out to various corners of the palace. Enid silently wondered how many football fields would fit into the vast space.

"Alright, feel free to occupy yourself while I prepare things."

Enid glanced around awkwardly, unsure what to do with herself.

"Is there anything I should help with?" she asked tentatively.

Crowley laughed, "Good God no. I don't need you blowing the place up. You'll come later."

Something in his tone brought nervous flutters to her stomach and she left without a word. Once outside the ballroom she was distracted by having the entire palace to herself. The anxious feelings remained, like the feelings that accompany being somewhere private or off-bounds. But she tuned them out and followed her childish instinct to explore.

There were bedrooms and halls of all sizes and lengths, great pools and baths (all emptied), dining halls that could seat hundreds, and even a full sized theatre. There was something saddening about seeing such a grand place empty, it made her wonder what had become of the Ancients.

The next room she entered was a baronial library, the ceiling an impossibly high dome, ribbed with gold trims, each segment filled with it's own detailed portrait painting. It housed magnificent golden chandeliers and shelved books from floor to ceiling. The room was well appointed with lavish sofas and tables. Her jaw dropped and for a moment she could do no more than stand in the threshold, taking it all in, unsure what to look at first.

Finally she closed the door behind her and set off around the perimeter. Doors were placed at even intervals along the wall and upon further inspection they were revealed to be private study rooms.

She continued forward and climbed a wooden ladder to the second tier of shelves, randomly selecting a tome and letting it fall open in her hands. "Nautical Astronomy" it read. She flipped though the pages, the scent of the old paper piquing her senses with delight. There were books from all over the world. A majority of them were in latin but she recognized at least ten other languages.

The top tier of books appeared to be the oldest and most worn. At the end of the aisle was another door, though this one had several locks and was covered with strange chalk insignias. Enid twisted the handle but the door would not budge.

"You're either incredibly brave or stupid as all hell."

Enid jumped as Crowley appeared directly behind her.

"Shit, don't do that!" she huffed, "I was just seeing what the door led to."

"Well obviously you underestimate the power of sigils, blockhead! If any nonhuman had touched that handle they would have been incinerated."

"Well it turned out fine, didn't it? Seeing as I'm still in one piece," she retorted.

Crowley scowled, "From here on out try not to touch anything. I don't need your ass getting blown up just cause' you decide to be an imbecile."

"And how exactly was I supposed to know that?" she asked angrily.

"Common sense. Now wait for me downstairs."

Crowley vanished before her.

"Fuck you." she said aloud after he'd gone.

Damn him and his moodswings. Enid made her way downstairs and waited in the hall just outside the library.

"Here," Crowley said, reappearing and shoving a handful of books into her arms, "these should help educate you on how to not be a total dunce."

"Oh, well gee thanks," she said flatly, turning the top book over, "Also, you do realize this is in latin, right?"

Crowley rolled his eyes, "Of course. Focus and you'll read it just fine."

She look at him incredulously, "Focus on what?"

"Christ's sake! You're harboring what might just be the greatest Power ever to grace the earth and it's completely squandered on you! Focus on the words as if you can read them and you should be able to."

She turned away from Crowley and stared at the cover once more, focusing on the subtle curve of each letter. Gradually she noticed a shift undulate across the surface of the text, twisting each character slightly as it passed.

What the…

She blinked and focused once more and the characters shifted completely to english in front of her. Crowley studied her as she looked delightedly at the book before reading over the cover and narrowing her eyes in annoyance,

"Masturbation Techniques for Celibate Women."

"See? Reading isn't so hard," he cooed.

"Fuck you," she said crossly.

The other books were an assortment of spell practices and the history of supernatural crafting.

"Save those for later. Everything is set up for us to start."

Crowley led her off down the hall.

"And this is going to protect me?" she questioned as they walked.

"Yes, it will mask your power from detection until you can learn to do it yourself. Not even this bunker will hide you completely without it, which puts us both at risk."

"Aren't you King of Hell?"

"I am. But it doesn't mean I'm invincible. No matter how big and powerful you are there's always someone above you."

"And what exactly is the ritual?"

"In essence, it's a purification and then linkage between the two of us that masks your power and allows me to help you control it and learn to use it."

"What if I've changed my mind?"

Crowley laughed, "It's far too late for that, love. You made your decision the moment you introduced yourself. Plus," his voice darkened slightly, "If you try and resist it now I'll just force you to participate. Though it will be much more pleasant for you if you play along."

"I was just asking. I realize I'm invested now," she stated firmly.

"Shame," he muttered, more to himself than anything, "Well, let's begin."