Film About the Demon. Daughter of the Dawn. Natalie Yacobson

like Athenais’s was probably based on something very risky.

      The strange hunched creature twisted the cameras with its claws, as if it were the operator itself. But the broken lenses are no longer removed. It was necessary to warn him about this, but Neil did not waste words on the stranger. In addition, he behaved so self-confidently, as if he knew that broken cameras would be filmed for him, as if by magic.

      The time was late. It was already possible to go home, but Waynes decided that he would write a letter of resignation right now. A muted orange light was pouring from the studio head’s office. So Honor is now at his workplace. Fine! And then he rarely appears here.

      Waynes stopped before knocking. The door was ajar. Through the gap formed, one could see the golden head of Athenais. What is she doing at such a time in the studio of the owner of the film studio? Is it really the old fashioned way, as is customary in the world of show business – a star and a sponsor lover? Does not look like it. They are separated by a massive walnut table. And at the head of the table is Athenais, not her employer.

      Everything around is somehow strange, as if special effects are about to turn on. The tension in the air is growing noticeably. The owner of the film studio is very nervous and scratches his own hands with nails until they bleed. Some unusual black animals are crawling along the curtains. And not cats, and not monkeys, but their skins are like coals. They seemed to be taken out of the oven. And their claws are like knives. There were obviously some special effects. Although why did they give up in the office. They usually negotiate here, not make films. Even a manual camera is not visible nearby.

      “Did you really think you could keep the demon under control?”

      Athenais’s voice was calm, not in the least mocking, but somehow it seemed that she was about to burst into laughter.

      “There were plans…” Her boss was shivering.

      “The king of Persia Kambiz also had. He wanted to see miracles, I showed him hell. It all began with the fact that his magician Gaumata reported to him that a deity lives in the desert that can be taken under control. I was poorly oriented then. I woke up for the first time after wearing in Egypt.”

      Why is she retelling the plot of the film with her participation? He watched this movie. It was called “Daughter of Sunset”. There was a beautiful scene with King Darius on a bloodied bed after the ritual. He, like his predecessor, sought the love of a fallen angel. Alais was gentle with him, but cold: “I love you, but my passion burned out along with the beauty of my fallen angelic legion,” sounded in the frames. What if she repeats this to anyone who tries to get her favored off-screen? She seems to have gotten used to the role a lot. The sinister demonic makeup has not been washed away yet. Her face looked like smooth alabaster without moles, without wrinkles. What kind of powder does her make-up artist use to achieve this effect?

      What she was saying now sounded like a monologue from some new script in the old style of mystical horror. But why was the owner of the film studio playing along with her?

      “I, of course, apologize to you,” he fidgeted in his chair, “but I was told that summoning the devil is the same as a genie. There are certain rules.”

      “There are no more rules!”

      Did Athenais smoke? Somehow it doesn’t look like it. Fire escapes from her lips, not smoke. Neither a lighter nor a pack of cigarettes are visible on the table.

      “And they were once? Was there any way to hold you back?” the sly notes in the voice of her interlocutor were hard not to distinguish.

      Athenais smiled wryly. How good she is! Despite the pallor and inexpressive features. Her face was like a perfect mask, on which only eyelashes and eyebrows stand out in bright gold.

      “You counted on this when you summoned the demon to raise the rating of your ruined film studio? When was blood poured over the Fall Memorial? When were you looking for a many-sided tree in the forest?”

      This is no longer a dialogue, but most likely a plot for the next film. Then why does the owner of the film studio look so ashamed?

      “Why did you miss the blood of former stars? Did you want mine from the start? Is it only the blood of the one who calls that matters?”

      “Your call was hard not to hear. It was filled with such despair. People go crazy for money. And your studio is almost ruined, as well as many others, but only you called me. It doesn’t matter who advised you. You approached me voluntarily, but I did not respond. I wanted to sleep. I didn’t want to return to this world where everything is so gray and unattractive, except for my films. You didn’t need to wake me up. Then these films would not exist. The door to my world would not open through them. And your world would stand for a couple of centuries longer. This is what the Taor society and then the Templars fought for. It was so important for them to knock out this little at the cost of the lives of the elect – to postpone my coming to power by a century or two. They treasured the existence of humanity, no matter how tired and plain it was. And you called yourself. Here is the business risk. Making a lucrative movie for you is more important than saving the planet.”

      “Don’t judge people! You are from a race in which they do not know what it means to have a fragile vulnerable body, to grow old, suffer, starve, suffer from thirst and endure the attacks of creditors.”

      “Hungry and thirst, perhaps, unfamiliar instincts, but we know what it is to suffer,” Athenais nodded at the creatures that climbed the curtains and even on the ceiling. “And we know what it means to burn alive.”

      “Those creatures inside the tree… Will they eventually break free and start acting in your films as burnt angels falling from heaven? Or will they break free for another? Someday one movie will not be enough for you. And they are hungry. They will easily finish off all those whom your films have not yet seduced.”

      “The passage from world to world is not a tree of many faces, but screens of cinemas where my films are shown. If so far not all have watched them, this does not mean that it will also be in the future.”

      Pass! A door! He felt that someone’s teeth, sharp as needles, closed in the palm of his hand. He looked down. Was the fancy keyhole molded in the shape of the manticore mouth malfunctioning? Couldn’t she bite him? It turned out to be impossible to free the hand.

      “I smell blood!” Athenais’s voice caressed the ear. “It is a pity that not near the tree. It would be more reasonable there.”

      He expected to see her next to him now. Her scarlet robe was already sliding down the aisle, but something black, scorched and winged, appeared near the door, as if it had come off a movie screen. It was tall, like a giant, with limbs like powerful tree branches. His cracked skin looked like the bark of a scorched tree. It reached out to him with dry black fingers, but there was nowhere to run. The keyhole caught the hand like a trap. And the creature at the door, alas, was not a special effect. And the smell of blood attracted him very much.

      Bloody process

      Egypt, excavations, Valley of the Kings

      Something went wrong. Routine archaeological excavations have become hell. Voices were heard in the night over the tents, vague monstrous silhouettes flashed in the distance.

      Several employees disappeared. And Leah was so passionate about her work that she didn’t even notice it. It is much more important for her to dig another discreet artifact out of the sand and mud than to contact the authorities and inform that people are missing from the excavations.

      How could a girl be appointed head of the expedition? As expert as she is, she is still a woman. All her academic degrees do not change this.

      Neil decided to take matters into his own hands. All you have to do is make a few calls or get to the city.

      Leah, although not a white-handed, but a terrible bore. Sometimes you can’t get a word