2:30 PM, Chester Book and Print Chester, England

Almost a year had passed since Rose entered Cooper’s shop and received her first book. Now she placed several books on the counter, two books of poetic verses in Latin, from the fifteenth century, and a current work of research into the imagery of northern European monastic illuminations, by a German Academic. Rose’s studies had progressed over the last year, and she no longer brought her scribbled transcriptions to Cooper. Now, he was more of a guide to her research.

“Mr. Cooper, I brought back the volumes!” she called.

Rose stepped behind the counter and peered into the back room. Cooper was coming up the stairs from the cellar with a hand full of papers and a book under his arm.

“Sorry Sister, I got a little lost in my work,” said Cooper.

“Right, I had a breakthrough last night, I discovered an interesting passage in the ‘The Exultation of Saint Ostric’,” Rose repeated the Latin quote from memory, “regnum suum redire Marbas Ostric sancti Angeli singillatim speculo

“To return Marbas to his realm St Ostric wielded the mirror of angels,” Rose’s teacher interpreted.

“That means something to you?” she asked.

“Vere respondet de occultis. Qui regnare facit morbo et curavit eos. Dat sapientiam et scientiam mechanicis et aliis figuris mutare potest. Et huius signum est, quod praedictum deferri

Rose looked up to the rafters as she translated the words in her head. A year ago, she struggled with some of the books Mr. Cooper gave her written in English, but now she could read and write in Latin.

“He answers truly of things hidden. He causes diseases and cures them. He gives great wisdom and knowledge in mechanical arts and can change men into other shapes. And his Seal is this, which is to be worn as aforesaid.”

When she looked down to get confirmation of her translation from Cooper, he had a dire look on his face.

“Yes, Marbas was one of Lucifer’s cadre, the host of those that tried to overthrow Heaven and were cast down,” he said.

“But what of this angelic mirror of Saint Ostric?” she asked.

Mr. Cooper left the front shop without a word and walked into the back. Rose watched him go downstairs under the shop rather than upstairs where he lived. He returned with a small book. He set it in front of her. As she went to pick it up he quickly slapped his hand on top of it, stopping her from picking it up, “Sister, I share this with you but be clear, I will disavow any knowledge of you getting this from me if you are found with it.”

Rose’s curiosity was piqued. Furthermore, she couldn’t grasp why her possession of this book would be a worse offense than what Cooper and she had been up to for the last year. A nun going outside the convent to study with a man would already be seen as a violation of her vows of obedience. “We’ve gotten this far, haven’t we?”

“This book is different. It is a copy of the diaries of a Sir Edward Kelly. Some say this isn’t even his hand, a hoax, but I have read these and think there is a thread of truth in them,” said Cooper.

“Why is this man’s works a concern?” asked Rose pulling the book from Cooper.

“He was a compatriot of Sir John Dee, the court Astrologer and advisor to Queen Elizabeth. He was seen by many to be an occultist and the Papists looked at his work as witchcraft. Kelly was a confidant and contemporary of Dee. Some say he had the power to scry.”

“Scry?” said Rose.

“To see into the future, to look to other worlds. It was said that Kelly spoke Enochian and conversed with the dead,” as Cooper spoke the words, Rose’s stomach rolled and her skin prickled, Enochian!

“Would you have any books on the subject of Enochian and how it is spoken?” asked Rose.

“The heavenly language of the seraphim,” Cooper said with a chuckle, “Nine months ago you couldn’t read Latin and now you wish to learn to tongue of the angels. Take the book and see if that is any help,” said Cooper with a knowing look.

“Your Saint Ostric performed a great miracle and helped to save King Aethelred from Marbas and his succubus. He may have used an object to help him see the world and workings of Marbas. Dee and Kelly were believers that angelic powers were attainable through the occult,” Cooper concluded.

Rose put the book in her satchel and scampered off to finish her errands around town. She was excited to get through the day and back to the quiet of her room to read Kelly’s secrets.