As I am not a Roman Catholic, I do not know the names they gave to Satan's hierarchy. I also do not know what words would use to create a curse (thankfully) so I left that blank.
By the way, the writer of the original scroll wrote it in an old English script, but I transposed it to a more modern script, to make it easier to read.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The monks in Carthis were a branch of the Knight Templers, entrusted with hiding secret knowledge, and part of the knowledge were the scrolls – believed to be from a heretic who believed himself responsible for letting the laity know of ancient lore. Because of their vow of poverty and chastity, the monks could write down the words of the scrolls without feeling its curse. Father Ross had laboriously copied the words into several notebooks and then scanned it into the Monasteries only computer. He then altered the print to a more modern style that made it easier to read and noted something in the paragraphs that made the former professor of English take note.
Even though written in the Middle Ages, the words were not in Latin (except for the incantation that produced the curse), nor even in Old English, Old French, or even the Old Scottish spoken by the people. They were in Modern English. When they first checked the scrolls, a less offensive page was photographed just in case the scrolls had a demonic power that made the words appear modern when in fact they were not. However, what was written was what was shown. So the monks hid the scrolls, and in the abbot's quarters wrote the words, "Take the hidden knowledge buried in the …" which then gave the location of the scrolls. No one knew what they meant until the sixteenth century and since as wars, plagues, and such occupied their attention, no one bothered.
However, even though the monks hid the scrolls, disaster loomed and crops failed. The skies became black and snow fell in summer. This happened every hundred years or so, but no one knew why. They called it the Devil's Storm. It had happened almost a year ago until certain individuals removed the scrolls, and one of those individuals plunged into the North Sea with them. However, until 2001, the curse remained. Now the curse no longer held the power to destroy. Yet, the monks had to know whether someone or circumstances might have prevented the curse. Sadly they realized it could not.
So it was, this Wednesday afternoon, that Father Ross, with a heavy heart, welcomed his visitor, a woman with bright red hair, not faded as was usual for one of a certain age, but still shining with its youthful glory.
"Hello Margaret," he said.
"Hello Father. What do you want to see me about?"
He picked up a copy of an American birth certificate "Note the birth name,"
She took it up. "Jarod Fillipo Lambourni."
"This is the very Jarod who saved the Centre, the son of an Antonio Waldo Lambourni, a corporate lawyer the Centre recruited him along with others of the same birth date."
"So you believe this Jarod Lambourni was the one who saved the Centre."
"I am sure of it." The Father reached for a folder and brought it out. "It appears that before Antonio's wife was about to give birth, and asked what to call their son, Lambourni wrote the name Jarod but then had a dream later to call him Geraldo instead.. Sometimes people who have the gift, the second sight, do not realize they have it or sometimes God gives them a prophecy in a dream."
"That is impossible. I know that Miss Parker has the gift, unless he is related, a Parker!"
"Antonio Lambourni is the oldest son of Jarod and Miss Parker. They were young at the time. It sometimes happens to girls entering puberty. That's why we keep boys and girls in separate schools, to avoid temptation." He put the folder away and showed Margaret a sheet of paper. "This was written on the scrolls, regarding the Centre and predates it and explains how studying the scrolls will give a man wealth and position. However there is a catch to it."
Margaret looked at it. It appeared straightforward at first until she looked at it closely. The priest told her to bypass the extraneous words and just concentrate on the main subject. After a while, she reduced the long winding words describing the many powers the scroll would give to the reader, mentioning treasures innumerable to count, kings and princes and rulers asking you for guidance, and praising the ones who wrote this, their insight into the hidden things, she got down to basics. Apart from the flowery and archaic language, the words were written in brown rather than the usual black.
This scroll will give you power, wealth, and knowledge. Whatever you do, you shall influence many. Obey the words of this scroll and you will rule .Whosoever reads this scroll will gain knowledge more than any man has received and shall prevail over his enemies. You will be master of all and laws for the common man shall not apply to you. I call on the Prince of the Air, ruler of the kingdoms of the earth, above and below to grant you this power! I … bestow my might on you, you my willing pupil. Now I grant you …
At this, the priest put his hands over this phrase and said "It contains the incantation that drives the reader to kill his family, drives him temporary mad." I suggest you first read the other part. I'll turn on the light. He did so, and gave her the other part. It'll protect you. Also if you hold your good hand on the Holy Bible, it will also negate any effects reading this has on you and I will sprinkle your head with Holy Water." He did so as Margaret held her Bible.
"It must be a powerful curse."
"So powerful that it is hard to remove. The scroll is written in modern language. If it were not, the writer would have been ensnared. One knows not the time, perhaps the tenth or the eleventh Century. It is said that the one who wrote it wanted a glimpse into the future and asked a demon for it, for God refused him. The demon gave him his wish, but the monk was unable to understand it. He died in poverty and obscurity. The scrolls were buried in the vaults. It is only in the last Century, that another monk with poor eyesight brought it out into the sunlight to read.
Take heed for the words below these hold a curse. Read this only in the light of day, in the artificial sunlight. Read this with your Bible at your side, after confessing your sins. Read this, o man o woman with caution. For the one who steals this, who reads this in darkness, darkness and evil will be his blessing. He will kill his family and go to a strange land and his new family will prosper in evil, each member a killer and perverse until a woman shall marry into it. After that, the Prince of the Power of the Air will allow the gift of communication with the dead to her She will have a child in which the demon will give the gift of sensing those gone before, the gift of seeing the murdered child. What she desires she will chase but cannot obtain, unless she removes the first half of the curse, to grant her what she wants. After that, she must remove the most powerful part, the curse on her descendants, the curse on her, but that alone will be her task. The power and the might of the empire will be destroyed by a child of the one she desires and the might and power will go to them. The building will be cleansed of the evil and the gift of sensing will depart and she will be whole again. Now read the scrolls, for the Holy Scripture and these words have protected you.
"They do not mention anyone except they will be able to communicate with the dead," said Margaret.
"We were not allowed to, it is forbidden knowledge," said Father Ross, 'The one who possessed the first monk was a major demon, one of the main hierarchy of Satan himself."
He opened a large book on which were lithographs of Satan and his demons.. Each picture was horrifying, and the artist had been commissioned to illustrate Dante's Inferno. Father Ross flipped through each page, showing the horrid images and who they represented. "The names of Lucifer's allies. Lucifer also known as Beelzebub, or Belial, .Abandon —" He continued as Margaret listened in horror to those her parents had warned her against. Stark terror encased her face as Father Ross read the last name and the description '…Giver of forbidden knowledge, destroyer of hope." His countenance became serious. "This demon is ranked in annuls of the Knights Templer as one of the most powerful demons. He is able to curse ones ensnared through their own greed and lust, God allows it. Sorry, I am taking like Reverend Douglas, a Presbyterian minister who visited a parishioner of ours."
"The scrolls are at the bottom of the sea, shouldn't that vanish their power?"
Father Ross shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. The one who is cursed has to request the curse be removed. And if you believe that if another man had found the scroll, your son would not be affected, think again. That man would have also killed his family and he would have had a grand daughter who would have met your son, who would have been enslaved."
"So if the scrolls had not been found, Miss Parker would not have been born."
"She would, but she would be the grand daughter of the first family. Men usually marry someone similar to their wives. It is said that the crypt keeper was in love with his wife and the second wife resembled her in looks and background. As for your son, she would have met him in more pleasant circumstances. Unfortunately if the Centre were to be cleansed of evil, it had to be built and unfortunately many people that were saved by its knowledge would have died. I have covered the curse words and sprinkled you with the Holy Water and your right hand is on the Bible. You can read now. .
Whosoever reads this will see fortune smile on him. At his word, the treasures of the earth will appear, the might of the armies will bend, at his word, the rulers of the nations will tremble. You will be like Caesar, like Alexander, you will have gold, silver, much in abundance. You will be above all laws. But for that you need a place to accumulate all your influence.
You shall form a cabal of those like-minded as you, and build a mighty Centre where all the forbidden knowledge will be granted to you, the influence over life and death, the ability to manipulate the beginnings of life, to manipulate the wealth and power of nations. The scrolls grant you a vast estate promised to the ruler of Rome, but pirates will kill the ambassador before he returns to the papacy. The land will be for you, belonging not to the land of the people with red faces, nor to the people of the Europe, but to you. No power, no nationality can claim it. You will create many things of science. Things that mere mortals wish to obtain, you will be granted the knowledge that only the gods possess. You will now possess that. Your wealth will be impressible and so will your influence. Many innocents will be destroyed, great nations will crumble, the strongmen and dictators of foreign nations will use your power and influence to rule
The Scrolls give you the power to enslave.
The Scrolls give you the power to manipulate
The Scrolls give you the power to influence nations, rulers, lands, and peoples.
The Scrolls give you the power to kill who opposes you.
The Scrolls give you the power to gain wealth and health
The Scrolls give you the power to use others to gain knowledge, and science.
At this, Father Ross shone a flashlight on the word, The Scrolls, under it faintly was the name of the demon and a most powerful incantation. Margaret crossed herself and continued reading.
"We used a watermark program to create the hidden words," said Father Ross, "We will after you checked this, give you a copy minus the demon incantation to show." He handed it to her and she put it in her purse. "This will protect you from the curse. Then whoever you show it, can copy it in his own words, and be protected. The curse has been removed, it cannot be restored. Most of the Parkers are dead."
"Except for Miss Parker and her children."
"Her children have renounced the name of Parker. Now continue and see the horrid results of greed and vanity."
But beware man that you remove the soil from under and around your former house, for if not your power will not arise, you will be as you were before, poor and pitiful, and despised. Carry the soil in sacks, travel the railways, sail on the seas until the base of your empire is shown and spread the soil on that place until it covers the former earth. Do this, and your Centre will prosper. Architects will beg for the privilege of building it. Let your brain increase, let your wealth increase. Let your search for knowledge grow, never to be stopped!
You will ensnare those of great intelligence to gain this knowledge, to use their bodies and minds, but they will perish. Until two mighty powers will restore the children of Cain.
One power will be destroyed, but the other power will turn them from my Almighty Master and Lord.
Read this and know who they are, for I grant you power to raise the storm, to cause the ships to crash on the rocks, to enslave, hunt down these to be your prey, your slaves, to do your bidding.
When you build the Centre, you will obtain these of great intelligence, you will imprison them in the bowels of the Centre, for you will build it not only to the skies, but also to the depths below. They will be your slaves, your minions, those to do to as you wish. They will be able to mimic the minds of others, to become them, but unless you are their master, they will defeat you. I grant you the power to control them. I grant you the knowledge of certain drugs, certain herbs in which you will cause them to ingest. It will make them your puppets — their ability to move their minds, their thoughts will be at your attention. I grant you the power to brand them if they refuse or escape the potion. Without original thoughts, with servile obedience, they do your bidding. They work for the Centre and their descendants until you control all, the world, yours, the planets, yours, the universe yours. All eyes will be on the Centre and you will be invincible!
…
At this, Margaret shivered. She carefully read the lines that was a chronological recording of what the Centre did, the kidnapping of the Pretenders, then called the children of Cain. Was that what she was? "Am I this type of person?"
"The children of Cain refer not to your wickedness, nor to your depravity, but to your intelligence. The children of Cain invented the musical instruments, the workings of metal. It refers to great intelligence, but it says that you and your kind were protected. The Hercules Project insisted that the participants were God fearing people and were married. Cain believed himself to be a god and they started to worship the snake then."
"I want to read how it ends," she said. The middle part didn't interest her, being what the Parkers did and even though it didn't mention the Parkers, it was a blow by blow description of what they would do, their power, and the warning of the change. It mentioned the Triumvirate.
"The Three from the Darkened Land, Black as night, and Black in Soul, to join with the Centre, their power they will rule, until their power will be dissolved in blood. "
"I wonder why the demon didn't keep quiet about this."
"Pride. Saying that a certain family will be great and powerful, and that no matter if there is this one or these ones to defeat them, they will not be able to dislodge them. Pride." He opened a panel that revealed a large television combination video player and inserted a video which he started. It showed the monastery, the monks at their prayers, and chanting. It was obviously a promotional video with the large letters and a voice over telling how it had been founded back in …
"I understand." She went to the last section.
Beware of the daughter of the seer of the dead, beware of her for she will create the enemy. She will join with the bondsman and rise against you. Keep them apart, for if you do not, one appears, Odani, a child of Cain and of your seed, the Advocate, first crazed by the Curse. For if Odani is brought forth; he will summon the Chosen. Odani, descendant of the Odani of long past, of the fall of the mighty empire of Rome, the betrayer of his tribe, the new Odani is the mighty counselor, auburn of hair and hazel eyed. He is the father of the Chosen. If he is born, the power of the Centre will turn from you, it will go into the Light.
Beware, for then your descendants will meet the deaths of the stabbing instrument, the jagged saw, the strangling vice, the ripping scalpel, the severing axe, the crushing rock, the shattered heart, and I will welcome them into my kingdom of desolation and barrenness.
Let not Odani appear. Do not seek for him. He brings the Chosen. He brings destruction. Beware!
The Centre shall rise. The Chosen will be found, a boy named Jarod."
"If the Parkers saw this, then they would know about Jarod," said Margaret who turned her attention to the television where a scene was taking place.
A group of monks, all heavy set, were opening the scrolls one at a time, but when they tried to open the third scroll, it only opened part way.
"The original Parker and his grandson only saw the part ending with the bondsman so I was told by my visitor they made sure than such never came together. They forgot one thing. The Children of Cain are able to fool and the bondsman fooled them." At this, Father Ross smiled. "When the original Parker read what he wanted to know, he took the scrolls with him to America and started the order of the Vespusians. However, we wanted someone to make sure the scrolls were in pristine condition and Brother Nathaniel rolled the scrolls, read the end, and decided that whoever this Jarod was, he was in danger."
He then pointed his finger at her. "The cryptkeeper's son, Miss Parker's grandfather forced Brother Nathaniel to open the whole scroll and he read it. We do not know whether he read the part about Odani and Jarod because when his man servant found him, he was dead. He put the scroll below in the Centre where it remained until you brought it to us."
"How come he died?"
"Fear fright at what he read. An incantation so powerful that —do you see that grave out in the grounds? Brother Ambrose. He made the watermark and inserted it in the exact spot on the paper but suddenly died, clutching his heart. Brother Ambrose was never sick a day in his life. We copied that part minus the incantation and the curse." He took out the tape of the very hefty monks and inserted another into the VHS recorder.
"I received this from someone who said his name was Roderick, a councilman by all accounts, but I checked Delaware and found no one by the name of Roderick Valdez on any of the boards. Look."
Her face white with fear, Margaret watched as several important people entered the Centre and watched the shaking of hands, the nods of approval, and the silent footsteps of the unknown, those who did the janitorial work, those nameless souls who padded by, offering this man a drink, the girls serving the appetizers. And then she saw him, her son, he was with Miss Parker, and they had a small child which Jarod carried in his arms.
She also saw another boy, red hair, lighter than hers, but she could see something of him in her. She paled. Who was this boy?
Margaret was just about to get up, but Father Ross stopped her. She then watched the unfolding as the boy with the red hair joined another boy and a man who carried a large box. They walked towards Mr. Parker who apologized to his guests and eagerly waited for the box. He smiled and then paled, clutching his heart.
For a moment, Margaret froze, and then some hidden anger grew in her. The head that was in the box, that the cameras saw was Dr. Raines.
She saw the doctors trying to revive Mr. Parker, the medics working on him, bringing in the equipment that should bring him back, but could not and then she watched a man, not as tall as Miss Parker or Jarod, a man who before was chatting with a blonde woman. She watched this man raise his hand slightly and at the same time, she saw another man, this one with light brown hair take two guns simultaneously from the right hand and left hand pocket of his trench coat, raise them, and pointing, fired.
After that, she saw only chaos. Whoever held the camera had it knocked out of his hand. Blood splattering everywhere, men and women ran and fell dead by gun powder, knives; garroting or neck breaking, their heads at a lopsided ankle, the blood pouring out of their mouths. A hand reached to pick up the camera, she saw an eye, blue with a touch of grey, and then the camera showed the whole scene, the silent screams of the women until the sound returned, and she heard the orders of the sweepers. "Take cover!" "Look out!" "Take that you bastard!" and the yells of a man with a Spanish accent. "Let none of them escape!" She could also see that Miss Parker held the little boy, while Jarod took out his gun and started shooting, first one and then another, but he was not defending the Centre, no he was with the others.
A few minutes later, she looked on a scene of absolute carnage. Bodies were all over the place, and then the light brown haired man took something out of his pocket. There was a flash and the bodies were no more.
Margaret had just witnessed a film of the cleansing of the Centre. "Who are they and how could they do those things?"
"The Children of Cain those who have the Pretender gene, also known as the New Species also known the Homo Dominants of which Antonio Lambourni and your son are such. These were those whom the descendants of Lamech Park…"
But Margaret could not hear the rest. She ran out of the door, hailed a cab, and told the driver, "Take me to the nearest airport." She had to get to the Centre and find her son.