"Maybe your ... apparitions will pop up again. Don't you want to see your holy people?"

Ralph smiled at his friend's sarcasm. "I've seen them."

The red light on the phone glowed. Glenn answered it, listening for a moment. When he turned to his friend, the expression on his face was strange ... tight.

"News?" Ralph asked.

"Some ... stargazers up in Canada wanted to know if any of us had witnessed ... something ... some visions in the sky tonight. Said they shot film, but nothing developed. Said he didn't want me to think him a fool, or that he'd been boozing on the job, but it appeared to be two ... things things arguing." arguing."

"And?" Ralph prodded him, knowing there was more.

"He said," Glenn sighed, "that others had called in, from reporting stations all around the world. Said they all witnessed the same ... whatever it was. Said they were all-to use his words-awestruck."

"Go on, Glenn."

"You really want to rub my nose in it, don't you?"

"No, old friend, I don't."

"Well ... I I didn't see it. If didn't see it. If I I had seen it, had seen it, I I probably would have been able to identify the sighting without tailing back on unproven superst.i.tion." probably would have been able to identify the sighting without tailing back on unproven superst.i.tion."

The two men glared at each other for a few seconds, Ralph finally breaking the silence. "What is it they claim to have seen?"

The astronomer stalked from the upper platform, carefully climbing down the ladder to the lower level. He walked to the door, his back stiff with anger. There, he paused, turning around. "They all claim to have seen ... the face of G.o.d."

He slammed the door behind him.

Ralph looked upward, at the stars that twinkled high above him through the open roof. He said, in a voice that held the utmost respect, "I never had any doubts."

TWELVE.

"Do you want introductions?" Roma asked the young couple.

"I imagine we'll all get to know one another very well before the next eight days are up," Sam answered.

The den was crowded with young people, and Sam knew Nydia felt as he did: somewhat edgy and very much alone. The young people, the kids they had seen being forced into the house were not present. Sam supposed they had been drugged and put to bed. Most of the men in the room were hard-looking types, with craggy faces and savage eyes. The women were attractive, in a sultry, evil way, with unreadable eyes. A couple were beautiful. Several young people no older than Sam were present, standing off to one side with the people from Nelson and Carrington College. They all wore smirky expressions, c.o.c.ky looks, their eyes bright and shiny with depraved confidence.

"Members of the older Covens in this country and the United States," Falcon said, gesturing at the new group. "Your G.o.d broke the rules. We saw no reason to maintain our standards."

"Why are you telling us this?" Sam asked.

"So you can make your choice, naturally," Falcon replied. "Live or die ... the latter being rather hideously, I might add, should you foolishly choose that course."

"The choice has been made for us," Sam said, glancing at Nydia.

"That was yesterday," Roma said. "I a.s.sure you both, you may leave this area if you so desire."

"Our G.o.d would prefer we remain," Nydia said, the words blurting from her mouth.

Falcon laughed as his eyes mentally undressed the young woman. Of all the females present, Nydia was by far the most lovely and desirable, and Falcon was looking forward to the moment when he would spread those lovely legs and position himself inside the wet heat of her. "My, Nydia, how brave you have become with your newfound religion. Are you looking forward to servicing half a dozen men-at one time?"

"I don't believe that time will come. Falcon," she told him, a set to her chin that was alien to him.

"We'll see," the reply was spoken softly, filled with menace.

One of the new men opened his trousers and brazenly exposed his p.e.n.i.s, long and thick. He stroked his manhood and grinned nastily at Nydia. "I am certainly looking forward to the time."

"Put it back in your pants, Karl," Roma told him. She cut her eyes to Sam. "Don't you see your position is hopeless?"

"If that is the case, why not just take us now?" Sam asked. "What are you afraid of?"

The room filled with laughter. "Afraid?" Roma said. "My dear, we we are not afraid. Put that out of your mind. If, or when, the time arrives, we shall take you both by force. But why so soon? Why risk personal injury when there is always the chance we can convince you-both of you-to come to our side?" are not afraid. Put that out of your mind. If, or when, the time arrives, we shall take you both by force. But why so soon? Why risk personal injury when there is always the chance we can convince you-both of you-to come to our side?"

"You will be tempted." Balon's words in the letter filled Sam's head. "And you will fall to some of those temptations."

Sam remained silent.

"I'm Toni," one of the young women said. "And I have a question: why would you want want to resist us? I don't understand. I was once a Christian; raised in the church. A few years ago my mother was dying of cancer. I prayed to her G.o.d-my G.o.d, then-to save her, spare her, or at least allow her to die mercifully. He did neither. She died a long, slow, horrible death-unforgivably agonizing. Don't hand me the bulls.h.i.t of your G.o.d being a good and just G.o.d. Yet, after I joined the Forces of Darkness, my father was struck by a car and lay dying in a hospital. I asked our Master to save him, and he did." She moved to Karl's side. "This is my father. See, he is alive and well." She put her hand on his crotch and caressed his p.e.n.i.s. She giggled. "Very well, I can a.s.sure you both of that." to resist us? I don't understand. I was once a Christian; raised in the church. A few years ago my mother was dying of cancer. I prayed to her G.o.d-my G.o.d, then-to save her, spare her, or at least allow her to die mercifully. He did neither. She died a long, slow, horrible death-unforgivably agonizing. Don't hand me the bulls.h.i.t of your G.o.d being a good and just G.o.d. Yet, after I joined the Forces of Darkness, my father was struck by a car and lay dying in a hospital. I asked our Master to save him, and he did." She moved to Karl's side. "This is my father. See, he is alive and well." She put her hand on his crotch and caressed his p.e.n.i.s. She giggled. "Very well, I can a.s.sure you both of that."

Neither Sam nor Nydia had anything to say about the incestuous relationship. But both of them wondered about their own.

"Your G.o.d offers you nothing," Toni continued, her fingers rubbing her father's crotch. "The Prince of Darkness offers everything. And really, our Master demands so little, as compared to the rules your G.o.d expects you to follow. Don't you agree?"

"We serve our G.o.d," Sam said. "Our G.o.d serves us."

"Double-talk," Toni said. She looked at Nydia, open envy in her eyes as she gazed at her beauty. "I hope your man f.u.c.ks with more conviction than he talks."

Nydia's smile was sweet, but tinged with hot anger. "Odds are, dear, you'll never know. You'd better stick with dear old dad."

Toni flushed with rage, moving toward Nydia, her fists balled. No one made any attempt to stop her. When she got within swinging distance, Nydia, to Sam's surprise, gave the young woman a solid shot to the jaw with a hard right cross, sending her sprawling to the carpet. Toni landed on her rump and sat there for a moment, a glazed look in her eyes, her jaw beginning to redden and swell.

"You have all discovered," Roma spoke to the room, "that my daughter is very capable of taking care of herself." She gave Falcon a hot look. "Thanks to him. He insisted upon teaching her the rudiments of self-defense when she was a child."

Falcon had to smile. "Very good, Nydia. You remembered well."

Nydia rubbed her bruised knuckles and said nothing.

"Well?" Roma whirled to glare at Sam. "Your decision?"

"We're staying," Nydia and Sam answered in unison.

"A decision you will live to regret," Roma said with a smile, but thinking: all is working out very well.

The lights went out, plunging the room into darkness.

Nydia screamed in terror.

And from the firmament, the vault of Heaven, a figure ripped toward earth, moving at a speed untrackable by any machine known to man.

As the figure from the world behind the veil again made contact with earth, by the circle of stones behind the home known as Falcon House, a strange, unearthly sound was heard, and the creatures of the forest and the Beasts under the ground were still, as if frozen in motion by the appearance of the near apparition. The figure, huge, pale, and ghostly, made no sound as it walked to the dark circle to sit on one of the dark stones. There, it appeared to brood for a moment, its eyes like lighted sparklers in the night, but to be seen only by those of his choosing.

The phantom traveler rose from the rock and turned its awesome bearded face to the great house, its eyes becoming as mysterious as its ident.i.ty and mission. The eyes glowed for a brief time, then faded into hard tiny bits of diamond white. The traveler turned his back to the dark mansion, shook its great head, and walked toward the darkness of the forest. The ground trembled slightly as the manlike traveler walked, its feet clad in sandals, with leather thongs laced up the legs, almost to the knees. The dark robe was ankle long, belted at the waist with leather.

As the ghostly appearing man pa.s.sed the rock altar, still stained with the s.e.m.e.n from the man rape, a sword appeared in one mighty hand. The sword came down on the altar of defilement with a clash of sparks and a noise not unlike thunder. Where the sword had struck the stone a huge splotch of white appeared, starkly visible in the night, burned forever in the altar stone.

The awesome man snorted in disgust, and then spat on the ground beside the black altar, the spittle hissing and sizzling on the earth.

And then the cosmic traveler was gone, vanishing as quickly as it came.

Sam felt hard hands reach for him and grab him by the shoulders. Instinctively, he reacted as he had been taught: with extreme prejudice toward his attacker, with survival the name of the game. He jammed stiffened fingers into the throat of the man, spun, and ripped one hand loose from his shoulders, savagely twisting it until he heard the joint pop loose from the shoulder socket. The man screamed in pain and fell to the carpet just as the lights came back on. Nydia had dropped to the floor when the room was engulfed in darkness. She was crouched behind a sofa on one denim-clad knee. "All right?" Sam asked. She nodded silently.

The man who had attacked Sam lay moaning on the floor, his face as twisted as his arm, which lay useless, out of the socket, the arm having been turned a full 360 degrees, something a human arm was not constructed to endure.

Sam spoke to the room of people, his voice thick with emotion, with all present knowing he meant every word, "I'll kill the next person who touches Nydia or me. Do you all understand that?"

His eyes touched each person, male and female, adult and teenager. Only a few eyes did not drop away from his savage gaze.

Nydia rose to stand by him. Sam took her hand. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Roma said, stopping them as they turned to leave the room. "Someone, drag that foolish man from the room," she ordered, then looked at the Christians. "That will be the last act of physical violence directed against either of you-unless you attack us first-until we have decided your decision to stay with your G.o.d is firm and irrevocable. I promise you that. And I further promise to personally punish anyone who tries to harm you-physically-during that time." She quickly scanned the room with her dark eyes. "And the punishment will be severe. We will, however, attempt to sway you with words, deeds, and visual action or events. You have until midnight Thursday. After that ..." She shrugged.

"THIS IS YOUR PERIOD OF TESTING!" the voice boomed in Sam's head. It was a voice he had not heard before, and it seemed to be near. "You were warned that you would be tempted. Fear not, for the LORD G.o.d is with you. Resist all you can, with all your might, and do not fear should you sometimes fail, for Christians are not required to be perfect, they are simply forgiven."

The voice faded into silence.

"Did you hear that?" Sam questioned Nydia silently.

"No. Hear what?"

"I'll tell you later."

Roma was conscious of something alien in the room, not physically present, but more a mental thrusting, and whatever it was made her flesh crawl with disgust. And something else crept its way up and down her spine: the first unfamiliar tentacles of fear. She fought the unfamiliar feelings until she had successfully driven them away, then stood quietly as her daughter and Sam left the room. She glanced at Falcon.

He pushed into her brain: "Did you feel that power a moment ago?"

"Yes."

"What was it?"

"I don't know."

She averted her eyes and looked at Karl, remembering his long, thick p.e.n.i.s. She licked her lips and Karl smiled.

Falcon's eyes touched upon Toni, and she returned the frankly s.e.xual leer.

"I believe," Black said, speaking for the first time, "that we all should retire for a little fun and games. We have time, for we are many and they are but two puny Christians." He put his arm around a young girl and squeezed one breast, feeling her braless nipple swell under his palm.

Fool! Roma looked at him, knowing that her son would never survive any violent encounter with Sam Balon's Christian offspring. By all that is unholy, she mused, talking toward Karl, Nydia could probably whip him. She thought: I have given my word, and I must see to it :hat it is kept. Sat.u.r.day through Thursday, no violent acts toward either of them ... of course, she smiled, what is pudding to one person is poison to another. I will have the time to seduce Sam; to impregnate me, for that is not considered an act of violence if he agrees ... one way or the other.

"You are truly a beautiful woman," Karl said to her when she reached his side.

"Yes, I know," she said smiling. "And that was a magnificent organ you displayed a few moments ago," she said returning the compliment. "For a bit of stimulation, shall we play voyeur for a time, watching Falcon work his way into your daughter?"

Karl licked thick lips. "Will she scream?" he asked, eyes bright with antic.i.p.ation at the prospect of watching his daughter couple with the Master's agent on earth. There was always the chance she would be impregnated, and birth a demon. That would make the Master proud.

"They always do," Roma replied.

Sam and Nydia lay side by side in Sam's bed, but the only thing touching between them was their fingers. Sam told her of the voice in his head, and of the message.

She was silent for a time, then said, "Despite that, Sam, and all that is happening around us, I want you."

"Yes," was his reply.

"But I don't believe we should, do you?"

"No."

"Sam?"

"Yes?"

"It may be wrong-I think it is, at times, that is-but I have to say it: I love you."

"And I love you, Nydia."

He could hear her silent weeping, and it cut at him. She asked, "Is it wrong, Sam?"

"I ... don't know. We'll have to ask when this is over."

"Who do we ask?"

"I don't know that either. But I believe that somehow an ... answer will be found. Here, I think. I get the feeling a moral question is not the ... not going to be the main issue."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I. Those words just popped into my head."

"Am I part of your temptation, Sam?"

"A little bit, I believe, and I am a part of yours."

"It isn't fair. G.o.d knew we would be thrown together, and surely He knew we would fall in love."