Solstice - The Goddess Awakens

‘Like what, Detective? I mean, I told you all I know. I was away the weekend that Arthur died, you mentioned the note and as I said to you before, it was a quote from Socrates.’ Lola swallowed hard, hoping that she sounded convincing.

‘I know it has been a very troubling time for you, Lola, Arthur was a great man and he’ll be sadly missed.’

‘You say that like you knew him, Detective. Did you know him?’ asked Lola clearly confused.

‘Yes I did. He knew my father well.’ Just as Lola was about to probe further, she was cut off. ‘But that’s not why I’m here today,’ he smiled. ‘Our investigation has come to a dead end, and something you said about the note has stuck with me,’ he said still smiling as he rocked back and forth in the old wooden chair. ‘You said that the original quote by Socrates was, “The end of life is to be like God, and the soul following God will be like Him”, but that Arthur had changed the Him to a Her. Why do you think he did that?’

Of course Lola knew why he’d done it, but she wasn’t sure that it would benefit her any if she explained this to the detective. She had thought about what the note had really meant and what Arthur had been trying to say to her. She could tell the detective suspected her. Not of the murder, but of knowing more than she was clearly divulging. In truth he was right. After some consideration she decided that honesty was the best policy.

‘Well, I think it was a private joke,’ said Lola seeing that DCI Campbell wasn’t following her logic.

‘A joke? From a dying man?’

‘Not really in that sense,’ stuttered Lola. ‘You see I always used to joke with Arthur about how everyone always referring to God as a man annoyed me. History has been written by men, Detective, and the role of women has been rewritten to that of the temptress and villain. In my opinion, that voice deep inside is the word of God, some people like to call it intuition. In my experience, women are as close to God as anyone, yet it’s mostly men that create religion, which I believe, for what it’s worth, has very little to do with God at all. I mean, who says God’s a man? My God isn’t.’

A condescending smile spread across the detective’s face.

‘So your God is a woman, Lola?’ he laughed.

‘Not necessarily, if we are all created in the likeness of the divine, my conclusion is that God is a bit of both.’

‘What?’ snorted the detective, ‘some sort of He/She? Well, I’ve heard it all now.’ Lola rolled her eyes. ‘So that note was like a little private joke between you and Arthur?’ continued DCI Campbell, all humour gone now. But Lola was unphased by the implication.

‘Perhaps it was. The truth is I don’t know.’

‘You have no idea what it might mean?’

‘I’m not sure what you want me to say, Detective. You clearly think that I am withholding information from you. I loved Arthur, more than you can ever understand. You know nothing of what I’ve lost, or how my life has changed since his death. There’s nothing more I can tell you.’

‘I didn’t come here to upset you, Lola. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of this.’

The detective got up out of the chair to leave.

‘I read your article in the paper this week, you’ve been covering the Vikki Jones story.’

‘Yes.’

‘She went missing in Portstewart the weekend Arthur died. You were up there that weekend, weren’t you, Lola?’ It was more of a statement than a question, but Lola didn’t like where it was going. ‘I got the impression that you don’t think that she took her own life. What made you think that?’

Lola just wanted to get him out. She didn’t trust him. He seemed to be taking a very close interest in her and her whereabouts.

‘I’m not sure what you mean, Detective,’ replied Lola, as she ushered him out of the book room. ‘I was just quoting her friends and family. They don’t believe that she took her own life. You’re working that case too? As you know, I tried to contact you about it.’

The detective nodded.

‘Well you deemed it as suicide. Despite the evidence.’ Lola couldn’t resist the jibe, but immediately scolded herself for revealing too much.

The detective pounced on it straight away.

‘Evidence? What evidence? If you’ve uncovered something, Lola, I would strongly suggest you bring it forward,’ he warned.

Lola didn’t know if she could trust this man now. It seemed strange to her that he would be covering Arthur’s death and Vikki Jones’s. He made her feel uneasy so she went with her gut. There was no way that she was going to discuss the voicemail. Besides, he’d probably already heard it and obviously dismissed it.

‘You are clearly a very busy man, detective, and I wouldn’t like to take up any more of your time.’

Lola ushered DCI Campbell to the top of the stairs and watched as he left the house.

She was annoyed with her brother Liam for letting DCI Campbell into the house without her notice, and she would soon let him know when she got her hands on the little imp. Lifting the small book that Aibgrene had given her out of her pocket, she headed back to the book room. Sitting in Arthur’s chair, she opened the battered book, which was yellowed and bore the smell of an old book shop. Lola began to read The New Epoch by Dr Roberta Emmett.

It took Lola a while to get into the book, as the language and astrological diagrams were difficult for her to interpret. Eventually she got the gist of the subject, which was discussing the new Age of Aquarius.

From the little she could grasp, each of the twelve astrological signs of the Zodiac had an age associated with it, and each one of those ages lasted approximately two thousand years or more. The example the book cited was that of the current age or epoch – Pisces/Virgo – which the book stated was ushered in by the birth of Jesus.

Lola tried to recall what Markus had said at the fort on the evening of Arthur’s cremation about the new age, to see if it had any relevance to what she was reading. The writer claimed that these epochs could be charted through astronomy and were determined by the equinox procession. This phrase caught Lola’s attention because Arthur had been observing the spring equinoxes. Frustrated, Lola threw the book to one side, deciding to wait until Aibgrene was there to explain it to her.

That’s when she saw DCI Campbell standing in the side garden with his head cocked to one side, as if he was trying to figure out some sort of puzzle. Lola suddenly felt sick – from her high vantage point she could see the entire picture. Aibgrene must have forgotten to clear her things away last night. There in the garden lay the remnants of her moon ritual. The large circle of petals and salt, along with four white candles, lay scattered in the dewy grass. It was most unlike her to leave her things, as she was usually very discreet.

Lola had become accustomed to her ways, and had even participated a few times in the rituals and really enjoyed it. This particular ritual was performed every month, as Aibgrene followed the cycle of the moon. But Lola was only too aware how this would look to an outsider, especially an already curious one.

Lola watched from behind the curtain as the detective stepped around the circle. He bent down, and picked up some salt, rubbing it between his fingers. It was as though he was investigating a crime scene. From his body language and the way he was moving, it was clear that he understood what he was looking at. He must have sensed that someone was watching as he looked up towards the window, but Lola quickly ducked away, undetected.

Two hours later a bleary-eyed Aibgrene staggered into the book room, still half asleep.

‘What time is it, Lo?’

Lola glanced at the large walnut grandfather clock that sat beside the doorway. ‘It’s 10 to 5.’

‘I can’t believe I slept for so long, why didn’t you wake me up?’

‘You needed the sleep, Aibgrene, there’s no rush. By the way we had a visitor.’

‘Who?’ asked Aibgrene, half yawning.

‘DCI Campbell,’ said Lola, rolling her eyes in distain. ‘He suspects that I know more than I’m telling him. Well, I suppose he’s right. He just wandered into the book room and said that Liam had told him that’s where he’d find me. I’m sure he could tell that I was very annoyed by his sudden presence.’

‘What did he want?’

‘That’s a good question, Aibgrene. He said he wanted to ask me about the note that Arthur had left and the wording of it. I told him the truth, that I didn’t know, but I could tell he didn’t believe me. But here’s the interesting thing. He’s not only working on Arthur’s murder, he’s also leading the investigation into Vikki Jones’s death as well.’

Aibgrene had guessed as much, despite the fact that she hadn’t mentioned anything to Lola about it. Lola noticed the subtle shift in Aibgrene’s body, like she was hiding something.

‘Do you think he’s one of them?’

‘I don’t know, Lola, he could be, but then how would he get through the sphere?’

Lola was never that convinced about the invisible shield that encapsulated the entire estate. This was mainly due to the fact that someone had penetrated it before – the night Arthur was murdered. She was about to explain this point when Aibgrene cut in.

‘I know what you going to say, Lola, but there could be a number of reasons why whoever is responsible for Arthur’s death got in. Perhaps the spell was only cast afterwards, or maybe he knew the person. We really don’t know yet.’

‘He knew his killer? I’d never thought of that,’ said Lola shocked at the implications this would have.

The thought had never crossed Lola’s mind. To her, Arthur’s killer could never have known him, because if they had, they could not have done what they did. Suddenly she realised how naive she sounded. It made perfect sense that Arthur would know his killer. How else would they have gotten in past the spell, and past Cuchulain? Lola sat in silence for a few moments.

‘He knew Arthur. He said he knew Arthur,’ murmured Lola.

‘Who did?’ quizzed Aibgrene.

‘DCI Campbell, earlier today when he was here, he said that he had known Arthur through his father. Oh my God, Aibgrene, he was in here, looking about. How could I have been so stupid? When he left I came back in here and he was out in the side garden, where you were last night. You’d left your things there and he was examining them, like he knew what he was looking at. He’s one of them, and he knows all about Arthur and us!’

Lola felt a sudden panic, as she realised that such a scenario made perfect sense, and that explained why he was pushing her on the note.

‘We don’t know anything for sure, Lola. He’s a policeman, and he’s just doing his job and everyone knew Arthur, that’s no surprise.’

‘You’re wrong, Aibgrene, I know it! He’s working for the Hell Fire Club. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is why would he be working on the Vikki Jones case, what has that got to do with Arthur?’

Aibgrene shifted nervously, looking down at the floor. Lola had seen that look before, and knew she was hiding something.

‘You know something don’t you?’ asked Lola directly.

She would be hurt if Aibgrene was keeping information from her, after all they were meant to be in this together. If Lola couldn’t trust her, who could she trust?

‘Well?’ Lola persisted.

‘Calm down, Lola. I don’t know anything for sure, and I wanted to be sure before I discussed it with you. You could be right about the detective, but we don’t know that for certain. I do have a theory about Vikki Jones and Arthur in that I think their murders could be related.’

‘How? I mean they were miles apart and they didn’t know each other, did they?’

If Aibgrene had been withholding this information, what else was she not telling her? Could she be trusted? Now that she thought about it, what did Lola know about Aibgrene? The truth was that she really knew nothing about her, she could be anyone, and could be working for the Hell Fire Club too. Lola’s head was spinning now. She wasn’t sure about anyone, or anything. She felt confused and suddenly alone. She had been warned about new people that would come into her life, but she never for one second suspected Aibgrene, not until now.

‘So how are these murders related, Aibgrene?’ asked Lola calmly.

If Aibgrene sensed the slight chill in her voice, she didn’t acknowledge it.

‘It came to me a while back, when you first started working on the Vikki Jones story. The fact that she went missing on the same night that Arthur was murdered. So I started to look into it a bit, and it turns out that another girl, around the same age, disappeared about two weeks before that.’

‘That doesn’t explain how the murders related to Arthur’s death,’ said Lola drily.

‘You see the Hell Fire Club have been known to make sacrifices to their deity. Mostly these sacrifices are animals, like goats and lambs – it really depends on the occasion. The more important the occasion, the bigger the sacrifice, and they have offered women to their God before. There is no doubt that Arthur’s death would have been celebrated and would have been merited by the biggest sacrifice.’

Lola couldn’t bear to think about the implication of what this would mean, so she changed the subject. Aibgrene had promised her answers, and she was determined to get them.

‘What about the other stuff you talked about? What did you find in Arthur’s log book?’ asked Lola.

‘Did you have a look at that book I gave you?’ Aibgrene asked Lola in return, motioning towards the discarded book lying on the sofa.

‘I read a bit, but I thought it would be best if you explained it. I got as far as the twelve epochs, which last over two thousand years, and that they are associated to certain astrological signs, like Pisces/Virgo.’

‘Good,’ smiled Aibgrene. ’You’ve got the basics then. I’ll not bore you with all the details, but each age changes, as you said, after every 2,150 years or so, and this is determined by what sign appears on the morning of the spring equinox. That is why Arthur had been monitoring it for the past fifty years or so. I found tons of data dating back over two thousand years. It looks as though members of the Order have been tracking these ages for millennia!

’According to Arthur’s calculations, the dawning of the Age of Aquarius could occur in the next few years. There are a lot of geometrical symbols beside this particular calculation and I’m not sure what they mean. By the spring equinox of this year, which falls on 20th March, the epoch will have shifted to Aquarius/Leo. I’m sure the symbolism isn’t lost on even someone like you, Lola?’

‘Of course,’ said Lola. ‘It makes perfect sense, Aquarius, the water bearer, pouring spiritual understanding upon humanity, illuminated by the sun sign of Leo; the sun, which represents the divine light of creation, the source of all life, cleansing our perceptions of our world!’

Lola looked up to the domed ceiling, scanning the gold-leaf letters that where inscribed around it. Finding the words she was looking for, she read them aloud. ‘“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has so closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern”. Is this what this is all about? Change?’

‘Yes, Lola, and you have a huge part to play in that.’

‘So the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Cosmic Cube must fit into all this somewhere?’

‘You took the words out of my mouth,’ Aibgrene laughed. ‘That’s where I was drawing a blank.’

Getting up she motioned for Lola to follow her, as she disappeared up the spiral staircase. ‘Look at this, Lola, and tell me what you think.’

Lola examined the strange geometrical shape etched in pen on the yellowing paper of Arthur’s log book. It reminded her of Kepler’s model that sat in the corner of the observatory.

‘I can make out about five different shapes,’ said Lola searching for the right word. ‘The polyhedra, that’s it.’

‘Well done, Lola,’ enthused Aibgrene, as though she was genuinely surprised that Lola had managed to figure it out. ‘What you’re looking at is the Cosmic Cube or better known as Metatron’s Cube, or the five platonic solids.’ Aibgrene looked thoroughly pleased with herself and Lola was duly impressed. She would never have figured it out on her own.

‘So do you think that the Cosmic Cube is related to the new epoch then?’ asked Lola. ‘Maybe it’s some sort of portal or vehicle to bring in the energy needed for the new epoch to begin?’

‘That’s amazing, Lola,’ gushed Aibgrene. ‘It took me all night to try and figure that out and you got it in about twenty seconds. I suppose you are the chosen one,’ she laughed.

‘Don’t sound so surprised,’ chided Lola. ‘I’m not as stupid as you think. And what do you mean by the chosen one?’

Aibgrene smiled waving her hand to dismiss Lola’s comments.

‘Lighten up, Lola. I don’t think you’re stupid. You’re anything but! I’m only messing with you.’

Lola returned Aibgrene’s soft smile, immediately feeling guilty for having doubted her.

‘You’ve done a great job, Aibgrene. Really you have. I would never have figured this all out. It makes so much sense now. The Hell Fire Club doesn’t want to see this new age, as it will challenge everything they have, it will destroy them. And whoever controls the Cosmic Cube controls the fate of humanity. No pressure there then!’ smiled Lola sarcastically. ‘All we need to do now is figure out what Arthur has done with it.’

‘Although we don’t have it, the good news is, neither does the Hell Fire Club,’ declared Aibgrene confidently.

Lola looked up, rubbing her weary head, waiting for an explanation.

‘I know because they have my mother and she’s still alive. With each full moon my connection is growing, but time is running out, Lo.’