"Remember, Miss O, how we met at the soterika.biz cyber-café, battling those distractors who blocked our every effort to share knowledge with people? Recall how when the Belgian would appear on-line, posting as Estella Themis, we would defer to her and allow her to speak of voices and visions and salamanders ad nauseum? Too late I learned of this creature's treachery, and I send this warning so you might not be marred, as well. For years I worked diligently on a detailed analysis of the great Emerald Tablets, only to be robbed of my endeavors by that one who claims to be pure of spirit - I swear by Regulus, the heart star of Leo, that although this poseur may have tricked me out of my notes and manuscript, Sekhmet will avenge me in the end, be certain."
"She gave Madeline the key to the Emerald Tablets! Gods, Duke, this is serious, for my former friend is no esoteric lightweight. I shudder to think what will happen if she uses the knowledge for selfish ends."
"What are we going to do? Should you call Maddie and confront her - would she give the papers back if you asked?"
"Doubtful. See, when I met 22 at soterika, I had a feeling Maddie was up to no good because she all but practically ignored me for months while she courted the mysterious maven from the West Coast who had ties to that great astrologer Mary Alice Kemery, the latter herself an avid student of the Tablets. It's a long story, but the three of us ended up becoming friendly, trading information and attempting to create a collection of esoterica that people could access from their computers. The project failed, however, when the dirty three letter word, ego, got involved - Maddie was hell-bent on winning this soterika.biz contest to prove she was the Queen of the Occult, and even though I knew the answer, I said nothing and let her post the entry that took the prize. What a mistake that turned out to be, because ever since being crowned the star, she has had an attitude - as though she is entitled to lord her distorted view of occult history over any and all. I mean, she considers the voices of disembodied entities to be more reliable a source than her own volumes at the Hague! But of course, she didn't write those books, so there's the rub."
"You sound a little bitter, my dear. I've rarely seen you get so agitated - calm down.
"
"Just remembering the numerous put-downs pisses me off," Olivia blurted out. "Maddie wrote to several people that I was her lapdog and handmaiden - when I eventually found out, those remarks really hurt. I thought I had forgiven her, but I guess I haven't. Then, she got into an argument with 22 and forbid me to speak to her ever again - which was ridiculous - I most certainly continued to email someone whom I considered to be a lot more interesting than an egomaniac. I had no idea that 22's manuscript was in Madeline's possession, though - what a blow - for you know Ms. Belgian Drip will take all the credit for discovering the true meaning of one of antiquity's greatest treasures. Gods, she annoys me."
