Dennis Wheatley - The Devil Rides Out

The chill wind died so suddenly that it seemed as if a blanket of warm air had descended on their faces—but even while that hideous screech was still ringing through the chamber De Richleau grabbed Rex by the arm and dragged him towards the door. Next second the control of both had snapped and they were plunging down the stairs with an utter recklessness born of sheer terror.

Rex slipped on the lower landing and sprawled down the last flight on his back. The Duke came bounding after, six stairs at a time, and fell beside him. Together they scrambled to their feet —dashed through the library—out of the french windows—and across the lawn.

With the agility of lemurs they swung up the branches of the laburnum—on to the wall—and dropped to the far side. Then they pelted down the lane as fast as their legs could carry them, and on until a full street away they paused, breathless and panting, to face each other under the friendly glow of a street lamp.

De Richleau’s breath came in choking gasps. It was years since he had subjected himself to such physical exertion, and his face was grey from the strain which it had put upon him. Rex found his evening collar limp from the sweat which had steamed from him in his terror, but his lungs were easing rapidly, and he was the first to recover.

‘God! We’re mighty lucky to be out of that!’

The Duke nodded, still unable to speak.

‘I take back every word I said,’ Rex went on hurriedly. ‘I don’t think I’ve ever been real scared of anything in my life before— but that was hellish!’

‘I panicked too—towards the end—couldn’t help it, but I should never have taken you into that place—never,’ De Richleau muttered repentantly as they set off down the street.

‘Since we’ve got out safe it’s all to the good. I’ve a real idea what we’re up against now.’

The Duke drew Rex’s arm through his own with a friendly gesture. Far from desiring to say “I told you so!” he was regretting that he had been so impatient with Rex’s previous unbelief. Most people he knew regarded devil worship and the cultivation of mystic powers as sheer superstitions due to the ignorance of the Middle Ages. It had been too much to expect Rex to accept his contention that their sane and sober friend Simon was mixed up in such practices, but now he had actually witnessed a true instance of Saiitii De Richleau felt that his co-operation would be ten times as valuable as before.

In the St. John’s Wood Road they picked up a belated taxi, and on the way to Curzon Street he questioned Rex carefully as to the form the Thing had taken. When he had heard the description he nodded. ‘It was Mocata’s black servant, undoubtedly.’

‘What did you say he was?’

‘A Malagasy. They are a strange people. Half-Negro and half-Polynesian. A great migration took place many centuries ago from the South Seas to the East African Coast by way of the Malay Peninsula and Ceylon. Incredible though it may seem, they covered fifteen thousand miles of open ocean in their canoes, and most of them settled in Madagascar, where they intermarried with the aborigines and produced this half-breed type, which often has the worst characteristics of both races.’

‘And Madagascar is the home of Voodoo—isn’t it?’

‘Yes. Perhaps he is a Witch doctor himself … and yet I wonder… .’ The Duke broke off as the taxi drew up before Errol House.

As they entered the big library Rex glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little after three. Not a particularly late hour for him, since he often danced until the night clubs emptied, nor for De Richleau, who believed that the one time when men opened their minds and conversation became really interesting was in the quiet hours before the dawn. Yet both were so exhausted by their ordeal that they felt as though a month had passed since they sat down to dinner.

Rex remade the remnants of the fire while the Duke mixed the drinks and uncovered the sandwiches which Max always left for him. Then they both sank into armchairs and renewed the discussion, for despite their weariness, neither had any thought of bed. The peril in which Simon stood was far too urgent.

‘You were postulating that he might be a Madagascar Witch doctor,’ Rex began. ‘But I’ve a hunch I’ve read some place that such fellows have no power over whites, and surely that is so, else how could settlers in Africa and places keep the blacks under?’

‘Broadly speaking, you are right, and the explanation is simple. What we call Magic—Black or White—is the Science and Art of Causing Change to occur in conformity with Will. Any required Change may be effected by the application of the proper kind and degree of Force in the proper manner and through the proper medium. Naturally, for causing any Change it is requisite to have the practical ability to set the necessary Forces in right motion, but it is even more important to have a thorough qualitative and quantitative understanding of the conditions. Very few white men can really get inside a Negro’s mind and know exactly what he is thinking—and even fewer blacks can appreciate a white’s mentality. In consequence, it is infinitely harder for the Wills of either to work on the other than on men of their own kind.

‘Another factor which adds to the difficulty of a Negroid or Mongolian Sorcerer working his spells upon a European is the question of vibrations. Their variation in human beings is governed largely by the part of the earth’s surface in which birth took place. To use a simple analogy, some races have long wave lengths and others short—and the greater the variation the more difficult it is for a malignant will to influence that of an intended victim. Were it otherwise, you may be certain that the white races, who have neglected spiritual growth for material achievement, would never have come to dominate the world as they do today.’

‘Yet that devil of Mocata’s got me down all right. Ugh!’ Rex shuddered slightly at the recollection.

‘True—but I was only speaking generally. There are exceptions, and in the highest grades—the Ipsissimus, the Magus and the Magister Templi—those who have passed the Abyss, colour and race no longer remain a bar, so such Masters can work their will upon any lesser human unless he is protected by a power of equal strength. This associate of Mocata’s may be one of the great Adepts of the Left Hand Path. However, what I was really wondering was—is he a human being at all?’

‘But you said you saw him yourself—when you paid a call on Simon weeks back.’

‘I thought I saw him—so at first I assumed that the Thing you saw tonight was his astral body, sent by Mocata to prevent our removing his collection of Devil’s baubles; but perhaps what we both saw was a disembodied entity, an actual Satanic power which is not governed by Mocata, but has gained entry to our world from the other side through his evil practices.’

‘Oh Lord!’ Rex groaned. ‘All this stuff is so new, so fantastic, so utterly impossible to me—I just can’t grasp it; though don’t think I’m doubting now. Whether it was an astral body or what you say, I saw it all right, and it wasn’t a case of any stupid parlour tricks—I’ll swear to that. It was so evil that my bones just turned to water on me in sheer blue funk—and there’s poor Simon all mixed up in this. Say, now—what the hell are we to do?’

De Richleau sat forward suddenly. ‘I wish to God I knew what was at the bottom of this business. I am certain that it is something pretty foul for them to have gone to the lengths of getting hold of a normal man like Simon but, if it is the last thing we ever do, we’ve got to find him and get him away from these people.’

‘But how?’ Rex flung wide his arms. ‘Where can we even start in on the hope of picking up the trail ? Simon’s a lone wolf— always has been. He’s got no father; his mother lives abroad; unlike so many Jews, he hasn’t even got a heap of relatives who we can dig out and question?’