"Thanks for having me over again, Daniel," Casey said as she took the apple juice from him. He sat down. They were in the same chairs used the day before by himself and Sonya Berg. "What is it you have to tell me?"
Daniel stared into his glass of scotch.
"Or we could just sit here a while, if you want to take your time."
"Did you find out anything about that book, or what the card means?" Casey sipped her drink and shook her head.
"The card means nothing I've been able to discover. The book was rubbish, a novelty item. It has some nice pictures in it, though."
"I thought as much..."
"I can't see any connection between the two items. Have you learned something?"
"Casey, why does your Order use this library?" She sat back and looked around the room. "I know I'm not supposed to ask, but you just admitted the texts here are trifling."
"Some of them."
"Many of these books have been around for centuries. If they had any power, someone would have found it, and used it. This collection would be locked up in a secret base, somewhere. It's not a big deal." She twisted her mouth into a wry grin.
"It's not the size, Daniel. It's what you do with it." The ice in his glass clinked and he adjusted his posture. "Why are you asking this? You've always respected the Silence before."
"These are extraordinary circumstances." She pondered that for a moment, and then nodded.
"I suppose that's true. Perhaps you do deserve some answers." She set her glass on the side table, and stroked her thighs. "Okay, history lesson. Millennia ago, there were some island nations that could be attacked at all times, from all directions. Naturally becoming xenophobic and paranoid, they developed a martial culture that even affected their norms of sexuality. To the east there was another land, renowned for its naval trade, that developed a compensatory approach to the harmful tide of unchecked hostility from the islands. The arts of Venus were perfected in temples where sacred prostitution was practiced. Eventually, those rituals became the skills my Order commands today." Daniel seemed absorbed by what she was saying.
"But why use these volumes? If they're just..." He was interrupted by a breaking window. Casey was on her feet instantly, and held out her hand to warn him from rising. There was the sound of scuffling as claws dragged on the floor above, carpet was torn, furniture knocked over. The heavy scraping moved to the bare wood at the landing. Mentally reciting a magical formula, the witch produced a blue, six-inch dildo from a hidden hole at the crotch of her sleek running pants. Daniel stared in shock at the exposed rod.
The beast scrambled down the staircase, its destructive clumsiness splintering balusters and denting the wainscot. They had their first look at it then, a vision not unlike Lon Chaney Jr.'s portrayal of the Wolf Man. It roared and a swipe of its paw smashed the statue on the end of the banister. Recognizing Casey, its yellow eyes narrowed with murderous hate, and its noise was reduced to a low growl.