darker_london | Renee / Marcel - Old debts

Every time that Renee stepped into The Cauldron, her intentions seemed stronger. She supposed that was a good sign, some indication that she was at least approaching that state that she wished to reach. Part of her was even beginning to feel as though she were above Marcel now.

"Somethin' I can 'elp you with, girl?"

"Invulnerability," Renee responded, getting straight to the point. "Do you know of anything that can bestow it?"

Marcel looked as though he were about to laugh at some fantastic joke, but he quickly swallowed his amusement. "You're serious."

"Quite."

"Well," he murmured thoughtfully, "That's goin' a bit beyond your level, love. You'd need to invoke somethin' mighty powerful... and even then, you wouldn't be able to hold onto it for very long."

"How might one go about making the change permanent?" Renee pressed him.

"Two ways," Marcel began after a moment's thought. "Like I said, you'd need to invoke somethin' of unimaginable power. Isis, Osiris, Horus... a god."

She nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, the most likely scenario is that you invoke them for a short period of time, complete a specific task that's up the alley of whatever god you're invoking, then they go away again. If you actively tried to keep 'em around, though... Well, they'd probably end up taking you over. You'd be invulnerable, sure. But you, the essential you, would be dead."

"And the other way?"

Marcel nodded and stepped around the counter, examining her closely. In a strange way, it felt as though this were the first time that he had ever really looked at her.

"The other possibility is that you subjugate the god's will to yours. You yourself would become a god. But no one, not even Aleister Crowley, has ever achieved that. You'd be a fool to try, girl."

Renee nodded and folded her arms. "And if I were to tell you that I saw one of my fr- a girl I know run through with a sword, and then saw that sword expelled from her body, with no wound to be seen on her... how is that possible?"

Marcel's eyes widened a little, but he kept amazingly calm. "This... girl. She's a witch?"

"Not that I am aware of. And we lived together until recently. There is no way she could have hidden it from me."

"If she can do the things you say, I wouldn't be so sure," the man mused. "By the way," he said after a few moments' thought, "Everything's prepared. You can repay me now."

"What do you mean?" Renee asked. Somehow, she didn't like where this was going.

"Come with me," Marcel said with an enigmatic smile, pulling back the black curtain that led to the rear of the shop.

Suspicious, but all too aware of the great debt that she had racked up, Renee stepped into the back area that she had come to know quite well...

It was different now, though. A large space had been cleared in the centre to make way for a heavy, stone altar. A candelabra stood on either side, tiny flames burning merrily. Another five candles were arranged in a pentagram around the altar, mirroring the enormous metal pentagram hanging from the ceiling. Renee certainly hadn't noticed that before.

"We are to perform a ritual?" What could Marcel possibly need her for...?

"Yes," he affirmed, stepping past her to check some detail or other. "You'll need to take your clothes off now."

Only a few months ago, she would have kicked him in the balls and bolted at such a suggestion. But now... she felt strangely detached from the whole concept. Besides, it was Marcel. And she did owe him a debt she was financially incapable of repaying...

"Alright," she shrugged, and began removing her clothes. Then Marcel started taking off his clothes, too...

"Marcel?" she asked, suspicion rising within her once more. "What exactly are you planning on doing here?"

"Sex magick."

... So that was why Marcel had allowed her tp accumulate such an enormous debt. He had probably been planning this from the very beginning.

Still, it was only a day after her period. Pregnancy was... unlikely. She hardly expected her would be using protection for ritual sex. But maybe, given that this was a ritual, there were metaphysical reasons why she wouldn't fall pregnant anyway...

She sighed. "Where do you want me?"

"Upon the altar."

Renee nodded and climbed onto the altar. The stone was hard beneath her, and she was very glad of the silk draped over it. At least it took away some of the cold.

"Turn around," Marcel ordered. So it was going to be like that. Chien-style. Well, she didn't really mind... she liked it like that anyway.

Renee did as she was told, and moments later, felt Marcel enter her. Immediately he began chanting in a language she did not understand or recognise. But it certainly had a remarkable effect upon her... almost instantaneously, reality seemed to warp. Blackness surrounded her, only the chanting and Marcel's thrusts filling her awareness. Gradually, the flames came into view, but with no candles attached to them. Marcel was good... and not just at the magick. She was approaching orgasm already, while he didn't seem anywhere near done. Ecstacy washed over her, and she seemed to lose herself... awareness faded...

The next thing she was aware of was the energetic reflection of the pentacle crashing down around her, as Marcel finally came...

Gradually, her consciousness returned to the physical plane. Marcel was already fully clothed, crouching by the altar, simply watching her naked, swooning form.

"You did well," Marcel smiled. "Consider all of your debts null and void. You've more than paid them."

"What did you actually do?" Renee asked, sitting up.

"Oh... just a minor curse," Marcel waved it away.

"A curse? On whom?"

"Just some eejit who thinks he can steal my woman." He sniggered. "Guy'll never get it up again."

"You cursed his manhood?"

"We cursed his manhood," Marcel smiled, then left Renee to get dressed.

So, she was cursing people now? Well, so be it. She had gotten what she wanted, and lost nothing... The only real pity was that Marcel was no longer of any use to her.

Only Deirdre had the power that she desired now.