A delicate trail of smoke spiralled up from the fumigating incense—the classic blend of aloes and nutmeg recommended by most grimoires—smouldering in a cast-iron tripod. Samson, having been put into a trance, was lying on a large oaken table. He was completely naked and on his enormous, almost hairless body could be seen numerous magical and Kabbalist signs, written in magical ink made of cinnabar, alum and vitriol of Cyprus. He had been arranged with his limbs spread out so that his head, arms and legs were touching the appropriate points on the Circle of Solomon—the Hebrew letters Lamed, Vav, Yodh, Kaf and Nun. He was surrounded by nine black candles, a bowl of salt and a goblet of water.

Teggendorf and Brehm, standing at opposite corners of the table and both wearing flowing ceremonial robes, intoned in hushed voices the psalms demanded by the ritual. They had just finished Ecce quam bonum and were beginning Dominus inluminatio mea.

Bezděchovský went closer. He was wearing a white robe and pointed hat measuring about a cubit and marked with hieroglyphs. He was holding an athame, a double-edged dagger with an ivory handle, which was a prerequisite during goetia.

“Athame,” he said loudly, “you, who are Athanatos, who knows not death, and who are al-dhame, the sign of blood! Conjuro te cito mihi obedire! Hodomos! Helon, Heon, Homonoreum! Dominus inluminatio mea et salus mea, quem timebo? Dominus protector vitae meae a quo trepidabo? ”

Bezděchovský touched the flame of each candle, the water and the salt in turn with the athame’s blade.

“I curse you,” he said each time, “O Creature of Fire, in the name of the Power: may the apparition and the nocturnal spectre fly from you. I curse you, O Creature of Water, in the name of the Power: expel from yourself impurity and all blemish. In the name of the Power, in the name of Ambriel and Ehesatiel, be blessed, O Creature of Salt, may the ill will of demons leave you. And may the good of the Creator return in its place.”

Svatopluk Fraundinst, who was assisting the old man, approached and handed him a boline, a knife with a crescent-shaped blade. Bezděchovský made four ritual movements in the air with it.

“By all the names of God, by Adonay, El, Elohim, Elohe, Zebaoth, Elion, Escerchie, Jah, Tetragrammaton, Sadai, we command you, demons circling here and present in your astral form, to appear before us in human shape, untainted by any corruption or monstrousness, able to speak plainly and comprehensibly, able to reply to the questions that will be posed to you. Come and be obedient to us, I command you by Daniel, Gediel and Theodoniel, by Klarimum, Habdanum and Inglotum! Come!”

Nothing happened, naturally. No one came and no one appeared. But that was quite normal at that stage of the conjuration.